Straight Through
by Rare Kuma
Summary: Yosuke, while on vacation on Port Island, meets a young woman who interests him. But there is something about her that captures him, and it's not just her looks. Persona 3/4. Post Persona 3 FES: The Answer, post Persona 4, post P4 Arena.
1. The Hanamura Family Vacation

**Straight Through**

**Summary: **Yosuke, on a vacation to Port Island, meets a young woman whom interests him. But there is something about her...

**This is intended to be a Yosuke-centric story, so I'll definitely try to stick to one POV, and that's the Yo-Man himself.**

**Author's Note: The story was initially Friendship/Humor, then Humor/Hurt/Comfort, but will now be a Humor/Romance.**

**EDITED 8/6/2012**

**Port 1: The Hanamura Family Vacation**

"Eh? You're going on vacation!"

Chie Satonaka's voice fell loud and clear all around the Junes food court, causing several heads to turn to the cop-in-training, currently clad in her Inaba police uniform. After yelling, she slammed her hands on the table and leaned forward off her seat, causing her short brown hair to bob with her sudden movement. Her emotion was being directed right at the young, slender man with headphones around his neck, and parted fluffy light brown hair, spread apart so it didn't cover his sparkling brown eyes.

This young man let a carefree expression glow on his face, serving as a contrast to Chie's frustration and displeasure.

His name was Yosuke Hanamura.

Yosuke tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly, "Yeah. Didn't I just say that?"

Chie scowled, and put her hands on her hips with agitation, "It's just that you never told us before today! I know Narukami-kun, Rise-chan and Naoto-kun aren't here nowadays, but there are still five of us. You could have gone out of the way to tell us!"

Now Yosuke scratched the back of his neck, then he titled his head back curiously, "Really? I thought I told Teddie at least… maybe Kanji-kun too."

The tomboy put a finger to her chin, judging him with her brown eyes, "Well, did you tell Yukiko?"

Thin brown eyebrows rose up. His eyes rolled away from Chie and towards the floor, a small laugh emerging from his windpipe. Then he looked back at Chie with a slight frown, rather confused as he put two and two together, "Didn't you get the text I sent all of you?" he pointed out, "I remember messaging it to all of you."

"Eh? A text? I don't think so…" she quickly took out her cellphone, and clicked at her phone, tinkering with the buttons. She soon pressed on a certain unopened text, and her eyes shot wide open. She looked over at Yosuke, and laughed nervously with a hand to her head. "I guess I forgot to open that."

The young man didn't even resist laughing at her cheekily, "Dojima-san putting you through the ringer, huh? Bet he's doing a great job."

The tomboy shut her eyes and gritted her teeth, trying to keep a hold of her short temper from exploding over Yosuke's provocations. Her hand balled into a fist, and she almost hit him right there.

"Yeah," she was obviously agitated, but then tried to flash a small smile, only failing to give it genuine enthusiasm. "Still, you're lucky, getting to go to the city and have fun! Send me a postcard!"

Unable to resist, Yosuke winked at Chie, and leaned back on his seat, crossing his right leg over his left knee, "Oh, sure, and maybe something else too!"

Chie froze up at that. Yosuke looked at her with widening eyes, and while his eyelids opened further, his entire face began to lighten up from a neutral patience to a cheerful, spirited grin that stretched his mouth, showing his white teeth. His eyes also gained a teasing shine to them, as he spoke.

"Heh! You want me to stay here, eh?" he winked at Chie, his grin held no secrets, "Don't worry, I'll come back soon enough, maybe I'll have some more _experience_ if you know what I'm sayin'."

Yosuke paused upon seeing Chie's expected reaction. He thought that maybe he shouldn't have said that, when out popped veins in the tomboy's forehead.

"You…" and without missing a single step, she turned on her foot and thrust her leg forward, kicking Yosuke hard into the air with a tremendous Galactic Punt, "PERVERT!"

He soared high in the sky, and felt for all but a fleeting moment, that he was floating. But, what came up must come down, so when his mind came back from his secondly haze, Yosuke fell right into a bin with a mighty crash. Garbage bags halted his fall, unfortunately enough, and the putrid stench was spread around the canister. He was stuck in a garbage bin, looking like an idiot with his legs sticking straight out of the bin.

Chie huffed angrily, "Men!" she muttered before she turned tail, and began to walk away from the food court. But then she paused. She then turned her head back to the trash can, and yelled at Yosuke. "I won't be the only one who's glad to see you gone!"

Yosuke rolled his eyes with a sarcastic grin while inside the garbage, trying not to let the stench of festering waste get into his nostrils. But when he tried to get his footing back on the ground, well, his legs just kicked in the air. Since the can was held in place by a holster, this left him stuck upside-down and legs flailing around like a madman's legs.

"Hey, somebody, I'm stuck in trash and I can't get out," he groaned. People started to turn and laugh, much to his disdain. Yosuke's legs stopped kicking around when the laughs came in, such was his fate that he was used to getting laughed at or having some bad luck happen, but even he had his days where he didn't want bad karma.

Yosuke made a mental note not to piss off Chie again, but then threw it in his mental garbage bin, thinking it wouldn't be fun if he _didn't_ tease the sporty girl once in a while.

What felt like an eternity stuffed in garbage was only five minutes, because before long, Yosuke felt something tub at his pants. His vision flipped right-side up, he saw light again. Hurrah, he was saved! The boy's wide eyed vision then locked onto his savior… that mascot bear, with a cartoony expression, wide apart eyes and a segmented head. It was Teddie.

What confused Yosuke was, why were his eyes watering?

Yosuke lifted an eyebrow, and his lips folded back into a neutral, if somewhat curious, expression, "Huh, what's gotten you down?" He didn't expect the bear suddenly rushing onto his chest, putting his face onto his chest.

"YOSUKE~! DON'T LEAVE US HERE! IF YOU GO, THEN THAT ONLY LEAVES ME, KANJI-KUN, CHIE-CHAN AND YUKI-CHAN! I'M SCARED!" bellowed Teddie, who immediately wrapped his stubby arms around Yosuke's hips. Once he got them circled around him, the mascot then put his weight down, trying to hold Yosuke down to some success. The teenager tried to swivel out of the bear's grip, but he had a tight hug held on, so when that failed, he gripped onto Teddie's costume head and tried to push him off.

Yosuke pulled his head back with a shocked expression at first, but he quickly got annoyed at the bear's crying, "Hey, Teddie! I'm not gonna be gone forever, dude! Just relax, it's only for a few weeks!" he said as he tried to force the bear off him.

"That's what they all say! But then you'll meet a bear-y cute city girl, you'll score, and then you'll forget all about us to be with her~" he cried once again, and put his head even harder against Yosuke's shirt, soaking it with bear tears. Yosuke's eyebrows twitched and they fell down in frustration of Teddie's delusions. He was now trying harder than before to push Teddie off before he made a complete ass out of each other. But the bear had a grip of iron steel, so it was much harder than it looked.

"Dude, you've been watching _way_ too many movies! Even if I did meet a babe, Inaba's my home, so it's not like I'm gonna ditch you guys!" moaned Yosuke, who then flashed one of his laidback smiles, a smile that could always calm anyone down. Well, at least Shadow bears.

Teddie looked up at Yosuke, tears still streaming down his face, "Y-… you promise… you won't bear-tray us?"

"Surely dude," Yosuke said honestly, "like I'd ever betray my best friends!"

Teddie then let go, and smiled that innocent smile he usually had on his face. The adorable bear looked at Yosuke for a few seconds, and then spoke up, "I wonder if you're pre-beared for the whole trip? Meeting city girls to score with!" he smiled.

With Teddie now back to his youthful self, the human couldn't help but let his smile widen into a toothy grin full of charm, and he nodded his head back, "Haha, you bet! Trust me Ted, I'm an expert on girls. A real sage at that, the city girls won't know who hit 'em!"

"Maybe you could bring one back?" the bear then said with a great deal of enthusiasm.

Yosuke shook his head, his hair flopping around his cheeks slightly, "Nah dude. I mean, we already got a friend from the city! Don't want to complicate things, you know~ plus, don't you have a friend of ours you keep talking about?"

The brown haired boy then winked at the bear, and Teddie saluted seriously with pride.

* * *

**July 3rd****, 2013**

July 3rd, 2013, was a day Yosuke Hanamura had been looking forward to for a while. Not only did he manage to get into a good college (he had hoped to get into the university Yu was studying at, but to no avail), but he was off for a family vacation! The Hanamuras had decided to go to Port Island, and when they asked Yosuke if he wanted to come along as a last family trip before he departed for college, he gladly agreed. As much as he loved Inaba now, nothing beat a return to the big city!

He had said his goodbyes, including a particularly harsh one from Chie (he was still rubbing the bruise he got from her kick), and was now on the car, sat back as his father revered the engine. He let his legs lift onto the backseats of their car and let himself lie down, it was times like these he was glad he was an only child. Then again, to his knowledge, everyone else in the Investigation Team was an only child….

As the car drove away from Inaba, Yosuke looked back at the entrance to the town, then kicked back on his seat, "Ah man, I'm out of Inaba and gonna have some fun!" bellowed Yosuke, stretching his arms out and bopping his head to the music going through his headphones.

The funky guitar riff bounced up and down, complete with the whine of a synthesizer, and with that, Yosuke continued to beat his head down to the rhythm, with no missteps. He was completely in tune.

He sang along to the lyrics and slapped his hands to the mechanical drums, his eyes were now closed as he nodded his head along to the beat, rather enjoying himself actually.

In fact, he thought he just may have fallen asleep. This helped the time fly by, and soon, after a few hours, Yosuke felt the movement cease, and the car stopped in its tracks. Yosuke flipped his eyes open, got off his back and looked around… they were in a car park. It was lit up rather dimly, and he swore the light over the Hanamura car flickered slightly. It seemed it was pretty deep in the establishment they were staying at, and frankly, it wasn't a visually pleasing site. The parking lot looked rather empty, slathered in grey concrete and tiles.

Yosuke looked around, "Kinda skimped on the parking," he smiled slightly as he adjusted his backpack onto his shoulder. He unclipped his seatbelt and began to help his father with the luggage, while his mother confirmed their hotel room with reception.

"Yosuke, hold it like you would hold important Junes goods!" Mr. Hanamura told Yosuke, as he passed another suitcase onto Yosuke. Yosuke took it, but rolled his eyes at his father. How come everything that his dad talked about had to be about Junes? He wouldn't shut up about it even in his sleep. Yosuke remembered when he was younger, sometimes he would go past his parents' bedroom, and his father would be snoring, 'Junes' in his sleep.

"Geez, Pops, you think there's a Junes here?" he asked, mostly teasing the older man, visible by the smirk on his face.

However, the man stood up with great energy, as if he were rejuvenated just from hearing the words, 'Junes', "Of course! Junes is a proud Japanese establishment, after all!"

The edge of Yosuke's mouth tilted into a nervous smile, "Right… well, we gotta get these suitcases into our rooms."

"Yes! And just as well! Your mother is calling me!"

Yosuke shrugged his shoulders, and his expression melted back into a bored frown, "Yeah… I guess so."

He lugged the suitcase up, and soon got to the elevator. While he did well to hide it from his parents, he was actually rather gloomy.

While he was definitely excited about the trip, Yosuke and his parents both knew they wouldn't be spending much time with each other: he had his own things to do. Yosuke always wanted to see the big city again, and while he was glad he could experience it on his own, it just felt… off. There was an uneasy feeling rising in the pits of his stomach, and it actually made him feel rather queasy.

Yosuke mumbled under his breath. What would this journey bring, he had no idea. Nor did he want to think about it.

**Port Island**

After having gotten their rooms, the Hanamura family set out a schedule. Mostly, it was Mrs. Hanamura ranting and raving, and Mr. Hanamura trying to get a call back to Inaba's Junes over something insignificant (like if Teddie was scaring away female customers or the step-in manager was doing his job right), while Yosuke just laid back on the couch, eyes half closed in an attempt to sleep, yet look like he wasn't sleeping.

It didn't work out.

What he had thought, was maybe he would get a nice girl. Hang out in the nightclub, see what girl caught his eye, then see if he could work it out with her. His parents were usually quite controlling of their only son, but to Yosuke, it only seemed fair if they let him have a little more freedom with the opposite sex. Hell, they weren't very keen when he briefly went out with Chie, even though the Hanamura family had gotten quite close to the Satonakas. It happened quite regularly in a sleepy town like Inaba, so Yosuke realized.

"Yosuke!" the sound of his mother's voice, now suddenly loud, caused Yosuke to jump on the couch, "Before you go do whatever you want, don't you even think of going out late at night, especially with the opposite sex!"

Yosuke raised an eyebrow. Of course, it was what he intended to do, but he wasn't going to make his mother worry. He shot her a small smile, and winked casually, "Relax, Mom, I'm not going to do anything stupid."

Calmed by what appeared to be her son's honest reaction, she nodded, and smiled. Then she looked over to Mr. Hanamura, who was still yelling at the casual manager over stock. Yosuke actually felt sort of sorry for the new guy, but, years of dealing with a Junes-obsessed father made him rather jaded. The new guy would get used to it soon enough.

Since they had arrived at the afternoon, nightfall soon fell over Port Island, as the city began to light up like fireflies. When he came with the team, Yosuke had watched outside his hotel room window, admiring the lights like back in Tokyo. Now, he was more intent on seeing what lied beneath the lights. Yosuke had asked if he could go for a walk, and his parents had agreed to give him his own space.

The first thing Yosuke did once his parents went out though, was to go straight to where all the good action was. He had been grinning as he escaped the hotel and quickly began making his move over to the spot where he'd have his fun.

The nightclub district, because why not? He had nothing else to do, and it wasn't like he was a kid anymore. He could take care of himself, and he thought of himself to be a responsible young man… even if many people didn't take his word for it.

He decided to go take a walk, as he didn't have much money on him right now, and he didn't want to use it for a bus ticket. Besides, it was some nice exercise, and would allow him to see the city some more.

Yosuke was soon strolling down the pavement, whistling to the tunes echoing on his headphones, looking around at the sights of the nightlife. While the sky was almost pitch black, with not a star in the sky, the world around him was covered in a glistening glow of neon, ranging from light green, to purple, to orange and yellow, thanks to the streetlights and signs.

His head tilted left to see a sign for a bar called '_The Stray Sheep_', which had a red neon sign, with a humanoid sheep climbing a tower, with the male and female gender symbols on the left and right sides respectively.

Yosuke pulled a face at that, biting his lower lip, "Eh…" he quickly walked over to the other side, and looked to his right. There was another nightclub, called '_The Jack Frost_', which was distinctive for having a giant blow up balloon of a smiling snowman with a blue jester's hat on its roof. Yosuke recognized it as Jack Frost, that kid's mascot, whose dolls had always been a hit at Junes.

Well, until Teddie came along, then Junes were able to rep the profits of having their own individual mascot.

After what felt like about ten minutes, Yosuke's legs continued to take him across the district. He couldn't help but feel awe and a patch of nostalgia flood back into him, walking these streets. For the past few years, he'd been used to walking around Inaba and seeing fields and small, packed streets, so it was quite a delight for the city boy in Yosuke to see the bright lights, energy and power of a Japanese city again. Sure, Inaba was his home, and he considered it to be, but there was just something about the city you couldn't beat, at least to him.

He was about to turn around and go home, when he saw a nightclub that caught his interest. There was some stairs going down to the entrance, which was a little modern opening, with grey tiles slotted in, making it all seem a little underground. The pink light sign over the top of the entrance was, '_Let's Positive Thinking!_' causing Yosuke to chuckle to himself.

"Heh. Cute name for a nightclub, guess I'll try it out."

With a stride in his step, Yosuke approached the entrance, and was about to withdraw some money to go in. That was when it hit.

All of a sudden, his forehead began to throb. It wasn't a painful pulse, but it was an annoying sensation, one that made Yosuke slam a hand to his forehead and begin rubbing the temples to ease the rocking in his head. Yosuke looked down on the ground to try and regain his composure, but had closed his eyes when it throbbed again.

Again, it wasn't a truly painful pulsating feeling, but his head felt like it was being rocked around and shaken by something. It had to be his Persona. But what was making his Persona go crazy like this?

"What the… hell…?" he muttered to himself. He snapped back to reality when he heard a cough, and he looked up to see the receptionist. She sounded like she was chewing on something, but she simply sneered at the brown haired boy.

"Are you gonna go in or not?"

Once he managed to gain entry into the nightclub, the first thing Yosuke did was to buy a drink. He wasn't 20 yet, so he couldn't get anything alcoholic, besides, it wasn't like most nightclubs in Port Island sold alcohol, anyways. But at least he wasn't going to get drunk, make an ass out of himself, then end up being lectured by his parents (he could already hear his father yelling, "THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HAD GONE TO JUNES!"). He grimaced at the thought.

Yosuke walked over to a bench overlooking the dancefloor, and laid his head against his hand, sipping on his drink as he watched the dancers gyrate and levitate towards each other. The hypnotic colors dancing around the floor highlighted the mass of bodies getting together, arms flying, people smashing their hips against each other, rubbing shoulder to shoulder, like a primal ritual. The smoke from the smoke machines only helped to create a hazier atmosphere, and combined with the lights, it made for a surreal, out-of-this world experience.

"Heh, not my thing though," he swept a hand past his parted brown hair, and tipped his head back, soon straightening up so he could walk over and see what else he could do. If he was really bored, he might as well go in and start leaping around with the others.

It was when he began to walk that he felt another vibrating clash in his head. His forehead felt the brunt of it, and this time, it really disorientated his thoughts. Yosuke actually groaned, but his feet stayed solid on the ground, and his lean body barely prevented itself from falling to a crouch. Whilst not truly painful, it was now causing something of a small sting, thanks to the power of these vibrations, and he was getting rather sick of it. It wasn't a migraine, no, it was something else. He knew there had to be something causing his pain.

And it was close.

Then, it was discovered. His eyes found themselves drifting towards the source of that strange sensation, the cause of his strange headaches. His gaze let themselves fall onto the container of that source… a young woman sat down next to a table, all alone.

He paused to let himself gaze at the new girl; he definitely had an interest in her now. Half of him wanted to just walk up to her and talk to her, while another part of him, his more analytical side, wanted to pause and have a think about what was attracting him to her.

Yosuke squinted to get a better look at the woman. She was hot, no doubt about it. Those pink lips combined with that dash of eyeshadow around her eyes only helped to highlight those wide, milky brown orbs. Her light brown hair was short, but it flowed back to the bottoms of her ears, forming points. He wasn't eyeing her body up directly, given she wasn't wearing some stupid cleavage popping dress that exposed her curves or anything like that, but he liked it that way.

Yosuke liked his girls with a pretty face, and not caked in makeup and insulin like some grotesque horror monster (he immediately shuddered remembering a certain teacher…), and she just fit the bill. After all, he did say he might as well try his luck on a city girl. He wasn't the most experienced when it came to the game, even if he bragged about his 'sage of scoring' abilities to Teddie… the girls back in Tokyo thought he wasn't 'cool' enough. But, he did manage to have one or two girlfriends over in Inaba, although those relationships didn't last too long.

But that was when he was in high school, he was no longer just a silly teenage boy and hell, maybe she might be receptive to him?

Yosuke decided, in what might either be his make-or-break move… why not? She was alone, and maybe she just wanted someone to talk to. There wasn't anything to do but dance in this nightclub, and damnit, he loved to dance, but wasn't going to make himself look like an utter moron or raving lunatic along with all the others shaking their heads, grinding their hips together and otherwise jumping around. At least he had some control over his feet, he had seen Yu, Kanji and Naoto (the latter two being very reluctant to do so) dance, and it wasn't pretty.

Yosuke walked over to the table with swag in his step, carrying himself as best as he could in front of the new woman. His feet moved around to avoid tripping up on something like a split drink or a stray chair; he wasn't going to make a complete jackass out of himself while he still had a shot!

She didn't seem to notice him, and was playing around on her smartphone, okay, so far, so good. Yosuke then sidestepped gently over to the chair opposite her, pulled it from under the table and leaned to sit down on it. Keep it nice and cool, don't try to scare her off, that always seemed to work.

That was when the woman's milky brown eyes moved from her electronic device, to the new guy trying to sit next to her. Her eyes narrowed, and she tilted her delicate neck, exposing a choker clad around her throat, with a heart symbol on the left.

"What do _you_ want?" she asked in a confused tone wired with subtle aggression. Okay, so first impressions, she didn't fly completely off the rails… yet.

Trying to keep a cool head, Yosuke raised his hand up as a friendly greeting. "Yo. Saw you were alone, just thought I'd see how you were doing, is all," he smiled.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed as if she had dealt with this for a while, Yosuke's eyelid twitched, this wasn't going too good so far. Maybe he was being too forward for her liking.

"Right… I'm here with friends," the girl said, "I don't need a total stranger 'worrying' about me."

He then understood there that maybe she was getting the idea. Still trying to play it cool, Yosuke shook his head, ruffling his brown hair, and grinned again. "I'm just not one to let a girl out on her own, sometimes things can get a little rough, _if_ you know what I mean."

The girl rolled her eyes again and let out a bothered sigh, adjusting her attention onto the smartphone to avoid the new guy next to her. Presumably to see if he already left, her eyes slowly fell over to her left, to see Yosuke sat there still, sipping on his drink. An angry frown fell on her face, "Seriously, don't you get the hint?"

Yosuke raised his eyebrows at the accusation, "Hey, I'm not hitting on you," he claimed.

"Oh come on, it's so obvious!" she said, raising her voice, "Do you seriously think I'm stupid?"

Yosuke flinched. Well, to tell the truth, he was trying his luck, but there was something about her that interested him too. She wasn't like any girls he had seen around here. He knew just from sensing her that there was something much different about this girl. Why, he didn't know, which irritated him. But she was someone he wanted to know more about.

He looked her over. Definitely a cutie with a pretty face, creamy white skin, a nice slim body, and she took care of herself, but it was her legs that caught his attention. Long and smooth looking, like they could go on, they were pretty model legs, not the powerful, firm legs Chie had. Those things could just wrap around him and he'd be in heaven. The thighs were looking irresistible especially, with that skirt bringing all the more attention to those fine legs, damn. He looked further down at her feet, wondering if they were just as good as her legs. She wore zip-up boots. Damn.

When he looked back at her eyes though, he saw a piercing glare aimed right at him. Her arms were crossed on the table now, and her lips were pressed into a rather serious frown. "I don't want your _concern_. I'm fine."

The boy shrugged his shoulders, and began to pull himself away, to give her some more space. He sipped on his drink some more, making sure to keep his eye contact with her. There was just something about her that was just so… interesting! His expression faded into a more curious gaze.

"Well, at least we should know each other's names," he tilted his head slightly at her paused expression, letting his brown hair waver a bit. A smile cracked on his face to light up the mood, "I'll introduce myself. I'm Yosuke Hanamura, I'm here on vacation."

The young woman nodded ever so slowly, still giving him a rather suspicious gaze, "Well, I guess if you say that… I better introduce myself too," she sighed briefly, and closed her eyes, looking as if she reconsidered saying anything, "Yukari Takeba."

"Aha, nice to meet you! I'll be here for the next few weeks, myself!" cue a grin from the free-spirited young man. Yukari tightly nodded again, still not easing up in front of the boy. Her hand gripped onto the strap of her handbag.

"That's nice."

Yosuke then realized that he had already succeeded on the first step, in getting some small talk out of her. Seeing as he already had a small hold on the conversation, he'd drift it to other topics. He could barely hold back a grin at that, but he analyzed Yukari's face for a brief moment. While she didn't look so mad now, she did look rather unhappy with his presence.

Life wasn't fair damnit, how come he always had to miss out on the hot chicks? Well, there was Chie, he did like her and, deep down, he could admit he found her very attractive, but the two agreed that they could never make a serious relationship work. Plus it just seemed natural to be shouting at each other as friends, not lovers.

The younger man snapped back when he started watching the woman's hands. Yukari tapped a perfectly manicured nail on the table, leaning her face against her propped hand, and then rapped on the material with her fingers, almost rhythmically, "Hanamura," she said.

Yosuke nodded just slightly, "Takeba-san," he responded back.

Now, this silence was awkward. And by awkward, he felt like he could stick his fist out into the air and he'd hit something. The atmosphere tightened around his neck, and he stared into her brown eyes. They were still locked into a hardened stare aimed right at him. It was as if arrows tipped with poison were being aimed right at his face, and no matter if he ducked or jumped, he'd still be hit. The smoke filtering from the machines made him feel a little light headed, not helped at all thanks to the unnerving encounter with this new girl.

Again, his mind seemed to be drawing him towards her. He swore throughout his nightclub visit, he could hear Susano'o, the former Jiraiya, chirp and screech in his head, only intensifying when he found and moved closer to Yukari. It was annoying, but it was definitely trying to say something. The thing was, just what was Susano'o trying to tell him? It had something to do with this girl though, that was for sure.

Yosuke didn't know what else to say. His eyes scrolled away from her eyes, and that was when he noticed she didn't have consumable goods on her. Perhaps she'd appreciate if he got her a drink? That was always a good way to kick off conversations… and romances. So he looked back at her, flashed Yukari his best, most winning smile and said, "Want a drink?"

The sound of metal moaning against the floor alerted Yosuke. He looked with wide eyes as Yukari pulled the chair back, and stood up on her feet, looking down on him, "Yeah, I think I'm gonna go now," she hastily said, and then pushed the chair back under the table, grinding the metal legs against the floor as she did so.

A surprised Yosuke began to urgently push himself up to his feet, standing up in front of the girl. "I was just asking! You don't have to get like that!"

Yukari growled, now quite angry with narrowed eyes and something resembling an angry sneer on her lips, and holstered her handbag on her shoulder tensely, "Urgh, what is _with_ you?"

"H-hey, don't go yet!" stammered Yosuke, trying to remember what he should do next. She was sick of him and on the verge of leaving him alone and humiliated: this wasn't good at all! He tried putting on a confident smile, and winked, "Maybe we just haven't started off right? Believe me, Takeba-san, I think we could really get along. We did tell each other our names."

Her response was to roll her eyes and walk past him. "Just leave me alone!" she yelled right in his face, and to add injury to insult, she pushed him with her shoulder, causing Yosuke to take a step back from her. Yosuke turned his head back to see her walking towards the exit, and now defeated, he frowned and collapsed onto a chair, tapping his finger against his drink.

"Man… she was pretty bitchy," he muttered. He watched her group up with two other girls, neither of them seemed to be pop out in his mind. They didn't look nearly as distinctive to him as Yukari did, that was for sure. But he wasn't going to give up just yet, he _had_ to know her.

While he couldn't hear the conversation, one of the girls had snorted, "Hey, Yukari-san, who was that loser trying to talk to you?" she nudged her head over to the boy, still sat there.

"Yeah, that guy was such a total fail," the other girl burst into a fit of laughter at that moment, "seriously!"

"He's nobody," Yukari nodded, but rather than smiling or joking around about Yosuke's pathetic attempts to hit on her, she actually didn't feel that happy. In fact, she was rather confused. Sure, this Yosuke kid seemed like one of those typical horny high school kids who hit on her, and he had no idea how to even lay his game on, not even to mention he just tried too hard, but there was something about him that made her scratch her head.

She looked over her shoulder one last time to see Yosuke, sipping on his drink, still left on the table where they talked. She narrowed her eyes at him. Now he had gotten up, and checked his watch again. Surprise fell over his face, and he quickly drank up the rest of his drink, and paced towards the exit. Luckily, he didn't notice she was looking at him.

There was something about him that really bothered her. It was a familiar feeling, but she couldn't put her finger on it, and that was what irritated her the most. Ever since she gave up her Evoker after the incident with the Abyss of Time and the keys, since she couldn't trust herself with its power anymore (Mitsuru-senpai was adamant she kept it, but still...), she hadn't heard from Isis, bar a few whispers when she met her friends again. Yet now, she could hear distinctive, echoing whistles and whispers in her head, which she knew was Isis' way of trying to communicate. And it only happened when that Yosuke guy came up.

She had no interest in him, sincerely, whatsoever. But, there really was that strange sensation that told her he was more than just a normal teenager….

For her friends, she cracked a small smile, and nodded. But deep down, Yukari thought:

'_Yosuke Hanamura, who _are _you?'_

**Hopefully I can keep both stories going. Enjoy!**


	2. We'll Make This Dream Come True

**Port 2: We'll Make This Dream Come True**

**EDITED 8/6/2012**

**That night, Yukari's apartment**

The nightclub was fun, but eventually, home beckoned.

After Yukari had said farewell to her friends, she had made her way home to her own apartment, hands in pocket. What happened a few minutes ago with the Hanamura kid was still playing on her mind like a broken record, what with the odd sensations she got from Isis afterwards. His hitting on her was just lame, but it was his whole… aura that surprised her. Still stupid, but he wasn't just another kid trying to get laid.

As she started walking back, she looked up to see barely visible clouds, growing darker even in the polluted sky. Yukari frowned, she never liked it when it rained, always made it harder to clean up after getting soaked. She soon made it back to her apartment, opened the door, and took her wet boots and socks off, moaning to herself as she left them to dry. She undressed and popped into her sleepwear, settling for a white vest and pink sleep shorts. With that done, she looked at her electronic clock, and read the time on it: 23:55.

"Jeez… guess I really was out all night," she muttered to herself. Listening to the rain patter against the apartment complex's rooftop, with nothing else to do, and not yet feeling like her eyelids were iron bars ready to shut down over her eyes yet, Yukari sat down on her small couch (and by small, given Japanese apartments, it was REALLY small), and grabbed the remote from the coffee table, switching it on.

The first channel? Nothing but news. The second channel? Some odd erotic anime that only otaku watched. The third channel… okay, she wasn't even going to say what she saw there.

"Really is nothing on…" she muttered. And just as well, her eyelids were starting to get heavier and heavier. Soon, give or take a few minutes, they'd begin to close, and she could drift into a deep sleep….

Until the TV's chattered faded into the nothingness of silence. Yukari's eyes widened, expecting to hear at least the voices of those old news broadcasters, but she got nothing. She even grabbed the remote and tried to increase the volume, but no sounds came out. The superstitious side in her (of course, fueled by her having seen gods and supernatural beings as a high school student) was screaming in horror: something _wrong_ was happening here.

A mighty crash hit the silence, and Yukari jumped in her seat, almost falling onto the floor. Feeling rather scared now, especially with the creeping, uneasy darkness surrounding her, she began to step away from the TV, and towards the sound of the crash.

It… was her light novel.

She frowned, and growled to herself, putting the novel back on the shelf, this time sat near the center, so it couldn't fall off.

She was caught by surprise by the next weird event. A brunette eyebrow cocked at the pop of static she heard from the direction of the TV. The moody, cruel vibe surrounding her room, a foggy atmosphere if she had to describe it, made her feel much more uneasy. Her shoulders hunched up, and she stepped forward towards the TV, her feet slowly pressing onto the ground, making sure not to make a sound. She kept her eyes peeled from the TV screen, the bottom of her stomach now starting to rumble.

Isis herself was also starting to echo loudly, enough to rock her hearing and disorientate her sight.

"Urgh!" she moaned. She closed her eyes, but then, the echoing stopped abruptly. Not even a fade out. She opened her eyes, and saw the television.

Then, right bang in the center of the television screen, right in front of her face, laid _that_. Her eyelids shot wide open, her brown eyes almost bulging at the horrific sight in front of her, "WHAT THE HELL?!"

What she saw in the TV was enough to her to fall backward, tripping over her bare feet and landing square on her bottom. Her heart raced almost out of control, her windpipes working overtime as she laid there, staring at the ceiling, wide brown eyes, sweating face and her entire state rocked by the horror of what she had seen.

Didn't help that it took her by surprise, too… but Yukari, gathering up her courage, moved onto her knees and looked at the TV screen again.

There it was again.

Piercing, hollow, glowing, _unnatural_ topaz eyes stared right into hers, but what horrified her was the owner of those eyes, with brunette hair, cropped into those distinctive points, and her pink jacket from high school. It was her.

Yukari's mouth dropped wide open, unable to close, her mind reeling from what she was seeing. While the figure was mostly cloaked by the yellow haze and darkness surrounding her, Yukari could tell her own hairstyle, and the curve of her own face.

What disturbed her most of all was the wide, Cheshire grin the Yukari in the TV had. That, combined with her aggressive, narrowed yellow eyes, made for a haunting visual. Then, almost as soon as it appeared, it disappeared back into the static.

Yukari frowned. That thing was not natural. Nothing supernatural or even just a little spooky had happened since the Dark Hour: and even then, that was after she got rid of her Persona. Well, technically it was her Evoker, but she had tried to turn the page on her Dark Hour adventures, and live the life of a normal young woman.

Maybe she was just seeing things… she was rather tired, and just wanted to go to sleep now. A sad smile crossed her lips at that point.

"He always said it'd be better in the morning," she said sadly, then her hand clicked the power button on the remote, she tossed the remote onto the couch, and laid down on her bed, soon dozing off into a restless, vacant sleep.

* * *

**The next morning, at the hotel**

He knew he shouldn't have stayed up that late.

The first thing Yosuke knew, he woke up feeling like a Shadow had licked him all night. His head throbbed, his body felt drained of all its spirit, and to make matters worse, the bright summer sun was filtering through the window, searing right in his eyes.

His eyes flipped open, a flash of white light hit his optics, and he lost his balance, quickly tumbling out of his futon and onto the floor.

"Woah, oh, ow!" he muttered, crashing onto the floor. Picking himself off the floor, Yosuke moaned, and pulled himself back onto his feet, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. He circled his arm around, giving his shoulder some circulation going for it, and then rolled his neck back, moaning to himself.

"… yeah, I really shouldn't have stayed up that late."

However, Susanoo'o, who had been quiet since he left the nightclub, was going crazy again. This time, it let out a high-pitched shriek. Yosuke moaned, and closed his hands over his ears, trying to block out the intense sound, "Ow! What the…."

Then, it cut in mid pitch. Yosuke opened his eyes, and his forehead creased with a confused frown, unable to understand what was going on. "Damn… just what's been going on with my Persona lately… this is something weird, alright."

* * *

_**Twitter Update from #jiraiya (Yosuke Hanamura)**_

"met this total babe last nite, total cockblocker though #portisland"

* * *

**Four days later….**

_**July 8th, 2013**_

For the next few days, nothing really happened to Yosuke. He didn't have any trouble from his Persona, nor did he meet anybody else who struck out in his eye. Even when he went back to Let's Positive Thinking two nights after he first met Yukari, he still couldn't find her, and so, he just tried his hand at dancing the tribal dance of the society known as the party people.

To say he ended up making a complete jackass out of himself was an understatement: he ended up in the midst of a heated argument between two shady guys, and it took a good deal of bluffing and the argument getting physical before Yosuke could sneak away. He just hoped nobody he knew saw him, or that those guys were going to hold a grudge.

When he woke up, he didn't even think anything bad was going to happen. He just thought of it as another day, and he even thought of going to the movies, or trying to contact Rise or even Yu. Not like Yu was in Port Island, but he may be lucky and get to see Rise, that adorable, leggy hottie. Even then, he could see himself getting an awesome backstage pass, unless Rise thought he'd try to look into the women's dressing room.

Sure, he liked women, but he was better than to sneak into their privacy.

Although he wished he could have gotten Yukari's phone number. Maybe she had a Twitter too, that stuff was awesome. He wondered who she really was, and while he did try, she was totally uninterested in his approaches. Which sucked, because he thought she was really hot, and he did want to know why she caused Susano'o to react like that… but that made him think.

Yosuke sat down on the chair next to his futon, and rubbed his temples. Surely, there had to be more people out there with Personas, right? It had been something of a surprise when he had fought Aigis, Mitsuru and Akihiko, but it helped further his belief that the Investigation Crew weren't the only ones out there with this power.

His eyes widened. When he talked to Akihiko once after the incident with Labrys, he did explain that he was part of a group called S.E.E.S., but didn't go into detail about the members, preferring to leave them anonymous. Yosuke was actually starting to put two-and-two together, and looked up at the ceiling.

Perhaps…. Yukari…?

No, it couldn't be. Yosuke let his face fall to his palm, and moaned into it. It was a possibility, but he wasn't going to make any rash decisions: the last time he let his emotions get the best of him, he nearly killed a man whom turned out to be misguided. Plus, Naoto was better at that sort of stuff anyway: she'd be able to understand.

Shame she hadn't been in contact for a while. He then wondered how Kanji, Teddie and the rest were doing back in Inaba, while he was trying to get this girl, they were probably having so much fun. A small smile came to his face, as he thought how they'd react to him bringing back a girl from the city.

"Ah, can't think about that sort of stuff anymore," Yosuke got up, and began to walk towards the bathroom, "I've got a new day ahead of me!"

It was when he had a shower, gotten dressed, and was walking towards the door that everything suddenly unraveled.

"Yosuke!" cried Mr. Hanamura. Yosuke stopped in his tracks, and whimpered, biting his lip. Considering that his dad was never the type to shout like that unless he needed him, he just knew something bad was going to happen.

The teenager nervously turned over to his father, and flashed a grin, even though he feared the worst, "Yeah, Pops? What's going on?"

The older man's expression was gripped in a twist of fear, shock, and blazing determination, "Turns out that the Junes in Port Island is in trouble! We must go there and help promote the glorious name of Junes! Or else, if I let down Junes, I can never forgive myself!" and to add emphasis, he banged a closed fist quietly on the table, eyes staring holes into his son.

Yosuke's entire face fell into a horrified jaw drop. Oh, _no_. He tried to open the door, his hand clutched the doorknob, tightened around, and began to twist it to the right. It clicked, and wouldn't budge. His eyebrows rose into a frightened expression, as the worst came to pass. He then looked over his shoulder to his dad.

"But Pops, isn't this our vacation? We're supposed to _not_ work!"

Mr. Hanamura simply gave him a thumbs up, serious expression still locked on his face, "But we must, for Junes!"

No matter how much he complained, before Yosuke knew it, he was already at the entrance of Port Island's Junes, wearing his work apron over his usual white shirt, his black long pants, and a fake smile that, for all purposes, looked like a goofy, toothy grin that screamed, "I'm going to eat you and your family's soul with our cheap goods," rather than the glow of false assurance he meant to project.

He really didn't want to do this, but, duty called, and his father was adamant about the family scrapping their plans for today to help promote Junes. Yosuke was really more disappointed over the fact that they were on vacation, to relax and not think about work, and yet, they were working.

Ah well, at least today should just be standing outside in an apron, while helping the occasional customer.

… and that was a pretty bad twist of fate, now that he thought about it. He considered trying to hide in the store and just help would-be shoppers, a plan of action he was seriously considering, when he looked around and, to his horror, saw his dad approaching the store's exit.

Mr. Hanamura walked into the street with a delighted grin on his face, and actually began giving out brochures on the street to confused civilians, who were more worried about the ever so slightly middle-aged man giving out Junes brochures than they were convinced of Junes' 'greatness'.

Yosuke frowned watching his father act like a total jackass for the sake of Junes, if Chie or Teddie heard about this, they wouldn't let him live it down. He was glad they had never really met his father, or else there would be a lot more 'Junes heir' jokes going around… and the less said about those, the better.

He sighed, and decided there and now to go into the store. The store itself was neatly segmented, with rows of items neatly parted from one another. He looked over at the electronics section, seeing a few… less than desirable types eyeing up the TVs and video games like they were pieces of feminine meat… Yosuke wished he didn't look over their shoulder to see a DVD case with some cute _moe_ characters on them.

He pulled away, and made a squeamish face at them. He always thought it was weird as hell that some guys _really_ desired those characters, but what could he do?

Yosuke turned around and headed over to the clothes section. Unlike Teddie, who would be innocently trying to get young women the help they 'needed', Yosuke wasn't actively seeking out women to ask him for help, hell, he could do with less women making accusations at him over the stock and other things that he couldn't solve, even if he wanted to.

Although, to be honest, he could do with a bit of an ego stroking that was a babe asking him for help.

He paused, and looked over the shelves. Everything was in place, people were shopping, and weirdly enough, it seemed his dad's antics had gotten some attention, well that and the 50% price cut sale they were currently having. He smiled to himself, watching people fill in the aisles, looking for goods to buy.

"Guess Dad knows what he's doing after all," Yosuke said to himself.

He searched the corridors, keeping an aware eye out for any possible shoplifters, and put his hands in his pocket. He then put his finger to his lips, and muttered mostly to himself, "now, gotta wonder how popular Junes is with the teens around here…."

It was when he looked in the shoe aisle that he saw a familiar figure of the female form, looking at some summer shoes. She was even holding one of them, pressing it against the sole of one foot to see if it matched up with her size.

He usually would have just walked off so she didn't bombard him with dozens of questions (which he didn't have the answers to), but he could tell that cropped, parted hair from anywhere. His eyes initially went over to her cute bottom, clad in blue jean shorts, and up her slim upper body, dressed in a pink sleeveless t-shirt, exposing her small shoulders and thin neck.

It was Yukari again! How lucky!

Yosuke's eyes had a new glean in them, and his lips were now widened into an enthusiastic, encouraged grin. Keeping his posture straight and his steps full of swag, he walked up to the brunette, and called out to her softly, as not to draw anyone in, "Hey, Takeba-san! Didn't expect to see you here!"

She paused, and her whole stance seemed to go rigid. Her head gently, uneasily turned over, and when she caught sight of him, her entire face went from neutral to an irritated frown quite suddenly. Her eyelids fell to half mast, and she placed the shoe down next to her sandaled foot, putting her other foot back in the sandal, while she put her hands on her hips, "Oh, it's you again."

Yosuke, a little surprised at her bad vibes projected at him, blinked at Yukari, but simply shot a grin at her, placing his own hands on his hips, "Aw, come on Takeba-san! You know my name!" he playfully teased.

"And I'm not gonna say it."

Her matter-of-fact tone cut into Yosuke's good mood, but being the charmer he fancied himself to be, he kept his lips upturned, then again, he was glad she wasn't making fun of the apron he was currently wearing, "That's harsh, Takeba-san. You're such a tease!"

At his tease, Yukari's bored expression quickly jumped into a disdainful sneer, "I wouldn't tease someone like you," she muttered. Ouch, Yosuke winced, she was quite the minx with words. And frankly, it hurt.

However, he kept up his positive expression, ruffling his brown hair with his hand, briefly adjusting the headphones wrapped around his neck.

"Your loss," he grinned. Yukari visibly rolled her eyes, groaning at his lame comeback. Even he had to admit it was lame, but it was either that or say some really, really stupid catchphrase that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Yosuke, briefly looking away from Yukari's face, looked down at the shoes she was looking to buy. He put his hands on his jean pockets, eased up, and smiled at Yukari, gesturing to her shoes, well, flip-flop sandals, "Heh, can see you need shoes! Luckily, they're on sale for cheap! 50% off!"

Yukari made a rather nasty face at Yosuke, her lips jutted out into a scowl, "Don't need to be reminded, I saw it the second I walked in, jerk."

While he gestured to her shoes, Yosuke couldn't help but sneak a glance at her lower body, especially her legs and feet. She did have cute feet indeed, what with the light pink pedicures on the nails, but what really got him was her legs. Yosuke was a bit of a legs man, and he had to admit, he thought Yukiko had great legs, but this girl's legs were on their caliber!

It wasn't like he was into that stuff though. Nu uh. It was nice because she took care of every part of her body, yeah, that was it.

Perhaps to keep his mind off denial, however, he quickly pulled his eyes away and back to her unhappy expression. A thin eyebrow quirked down at Yosuke's antics, causing a punch full of nerves to hit the boy and make him feel even more tensed.

So he said the first thing that came in his mind that wasn't praising her appearance, "So, what you doin' here at Junes, eh Takeba-san?" he grinned.

"It's none of your business," she quickly snapped back, eyebrows narrowed now. Now she was getting angry.

Yosuke flinched, and remembered that while he was trying to take a further step with Yukari, there were customers that might need assistance, and raised his hands, waving them, "Hey, hey! I'm actually hired here, Takeba-san! I'm supposed to help!"

"I don't need _your_ help," her tone was more and more aggressive with each word she spoke, and her fists began to clutch together, as if she were struggling to hold her anger in, "Just leave me alone."

"Well, if you don't want me here, which you obviously don't," he immediately regretted making that remark, as Yukari's entire face darkened intensely, and she looked like she was ready to explode: this girl had Chie's temper! "Then what do you want? Is there something you wanna buy?"

That seemed to strike something in her, as her eyes widened, her expression lightened into neutrality, and suddenly, she looked over to the entrance as if someone was there, paused, then turned back to Yosuke, a small, vengeful smirk crossing her lips, "Oh, I know where you can come in handy, Hanamura-kun…"

He looked over to where she had glanced, but he couldn't get any idea of what she was referring to… unless she had someone with her as well.

Her smirk only seemed to grow wider, coupled with her narrowing eyes, "Oh yeah, someone very close to me needs some help, and I just know you're the guy to help…."

Yosuke already felt a sweat start to break out, given Yukari's strangely delighted tone. He only had one thing to say: "This can't be good."

**Now it's over~! Well, third chapter will be coming soon. I feel a little bad for my short, monthly updates, but life gets in the way, as usual~**


	3. Something About Her

**Port 3: Something About Her**

**Please note that I have updated chapter 2. And I seriously feel bad for late updates, but I sincerely hope the chapters make up for the wait.**

**UPDATED 8/6/2012**

_In this chapter: Old friends from the past come back, Yosuke tries to charm, and more Personas = more pain_

Yosuke was caught between a rock and a hard place. Well, a hot chick and her demands to help her out: either way, this wasn't going to be his lucky day. He knew the moment his dad called out to him that something was going to go wrong, and this was just a perfect example of it.

He looked around to see who she was talking about, but couldn't see anyone who acted out-of-the-ordinary or approached Yukari.

When he locked eyes with Yukari again, seeing those narrowed eyes and that cocky smirk locked on her face, he gave a wide, nervous, grin. Now just what she wanted him to do, he didn't know. And as long as it wasn't anything out of the ordinary, he'd be okay with it.

He was an expert dealing with customers, so he liked to think… well, until they start badmouthing, then he'd start seething. He did wonder what she wanted, though. She still had the small smirk on her face, and her eyes had this cocky gleam to them: must have been an idea she knew she could get something out of.

But he wanted to try and help her out as a customer of Junes too. So, with his usual winning smile back on his face, Yosuke rolled his arms around, smiling at the young woman.

"So Takeba-san… what DO you want? What do you need me here for?" he asked. She paused, and bit her lip, turning her head slightly away from him, her expression going from cocky to neutral.

"I don't need this, first my hair dryer short circuits, I have to pay rent soon, and I have to deal with this perverted jerk over here…" she could be heard mumbling under her breath, then she looked at him sternly, "ever heard of 'be patient'?"

At first, she sounded a tint aggressive, but it soon mellowed out, "It's a friend of mine who needs the help. It's not about me… you'll find out who it is," she reminded him, "I mean..."

Then, Yukari sighed to herself, a slightly melancholic expression spreading across her eyes, showing just a hint of sadness to Yosuke. He cocked an eye in interest of her sudden mood change.

Yosuke tilted his head up, raising his sight up to the ceiling, rather quizzical to what she meant by that, it seemed rather double sided, and didn't make much sense to him. He thought she was attractive, but so far, she wasn't showing many attractive personality traits. But as he knew from personal experience, the cold attitude towards him could all be just a mask she was wearing to protect herself.

He felt sympathy for her in some way. Plus an attachment he just couldn't explain.

With not much else to say, Yosuke simply nodded his head, "Huh, okay then," but, like he usually did to ease up the atmosphere, a carefree smile spread itself across his face, "guess we better wait for your friend."

Then, before he even had time to prepare, another short jab to the head hit Yosuke, as if someone flicked their finger on his forehead. It wasn't enough to make him cry out in pain, but it was enough to make his legs jar up in surprise, especially when he felt it again.

This time, it seemed to be coming from behind him. Susano'o flickered and screamed into his mind's ear, and Yosuke clenched his teeth, trying not to make any sudden movements as to surprise Yukari.

When his attention went back to Yukari, he saw her, her hands behind her back, a neutral, if somewhat patient, expression on her face. She didn't even bother to say anything, instead just tilting her head at his body language. Susano'o then yelped again, and Yosuke went wide eyed, before Susano'o felt the new force get stronger

A particularly painful throb caused him to grip onto his forehead, clutching strands of soft hair between his fingers while shaking his head in pain.

"Gah!" he moaned, squeezing his eyes shut. Yukari's own eyes shot open, and she briefly stepped forward to Yosuke, she didn't appear to feel the surges of pain he felt.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked him, shock and concern written all over her face. He looked up at her, rather surprised at Yukari's actions. Yosuke felt a little humiliated now, she probably thought he was being sick in front of her!

So, he struggled up to his feet, shaking his head and successfully finding his footing on the ground. Yosuke then opened his mouth once again, and said something he knew he'd probably regret, "I'm fine, don't worry about me, Takeba-san!" said with a cheesy grin.

Yukari closed her mouth, then rolled her eyes, "Well, it's not usual for assistants to fall onto their knees, shouting in pain!" her voice was noticeably louder now, and her eyes were now knotted into a more aggressive stare.

And of course, Yosuke stared back, but exchanged the aggressive stare for an eased, sympathetic gaze. The two kept eyes on each other, making sure not to look away. The tension between the two was indeed thick, but it wasn't like he needed a knife to cut it… more like another clash of psyches.

Susano'o screamed one more time, before a new presence interrupted his and Yukari's staring contest.

"Oh, Yukari-chan, I'm so glad I found you!" cried a soft, mellow voice. Yosuke had to admit, it sounded quite angelic. He looked over from Yukari to see the owner of that smooth voice, and raised his eyebrows at her appearance.

Homely would be a good way to describe her. Short in stature, her teal green moss hair reached down to her neck, with no fringe in the front, and put into a braid in the back. But instead of being neatly layered, it was a frumpy mess. Her eyes had the same teal green glow as her hair did, but caught Yosuke by the wide, bright innocence in them. That innocent look, along with her round face and rather cute, vulnerable facial features, made him think of one word.

_Moe_. And she was supposed to be Yukari's friend? Man, what was it about good looking women that had them bundle together?

"Oh, Fuuka! Guess what!" Yosuke didn't even need to look to imagine the cheeky smirk on Yukari's face, "I got one of their shop assistants to help you, and we might not have to spend _so, much, money_~" she spoke, causing Yosuke to turn around and stare at her, narrowing his eyebrows crossly. So that was what her whole ploy was about.

"… jeez, you've got your ways, haven't you, Takeba-san?" said a dissatisfied Yosuke, but he simply let his frown go back to a winning smile. He did want to impress her, and she was doing it for another person, so he couldn't really get mad at her. He nodded at Yukari, then looked at Fuuka, giving her his best attempt at the Junes charm, which, sadly, came off as a dishonest wide smile.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do for you."

The quiet girl nodded, and stood by the female clothes aisle, waiting for Yosuke to help her out.

Yosuke had began to stride over to Fuuka, ready to help her, but then, he felt fingers grasp the back of his shirt, the back of his neck briefly tickled by groomed nails. He turned over to see Yukari's face, pressed into a tight frown, head tilted down and eyes staring directly at him, making her seem rather domineering.

"Fuuka's my friend, and I won't let you do any of your funny business. One wrong word out of your mouth…."

Yosuke nodded, trying not to look at Yukari's face, or stare at her pretty brown eyes. He just kept his smiling visage up, "I gotcha. I'll get the best deal for her. Nothing else is gonna happen~"

Seriously, thanks to his performance at the nightclub, she now had it stuck in her head that he was perverted, horny, loud-mouthed, hot-tempered, and overly emotional. … Wait, that sounded a bit too close for comfort.

Anyways, he went up to Fuuka, and smiled charmingly. He stopped by the female clothes aisle where she was, and looked at some of the prices. Oh jeez, if he had to cut the price for them even further, his dad would eat him alive….

Nevertheless he turned to greet the girl, "Hey, what's your name? I'm Yosuke Hanamura."

She nodded, and exchanged a kind look, "I am Fuuka Yamagishi."

Yosuke nodded, and bowed down to her. He made sure to note what she was wearing: unlike Yukari, who seemed to be more fashion-weary at the least, Fuuka wore conservative dresses, enough to make him think she was trying to adapt the fashion sense of some European grandmother.

He looked at her now, with her turtleneck dress, long, flowing skirt, and closed-toe black shoes, and frowned. She was probably looking to be more fashionable, or at least adapt to the current trends.

He opened his mouth to speak his mind, "Yo, Yamagishi-san, why do you want me, a guy, to help you out?"

What the girl did was gaze away sadly, as if she had been dreading having to explain why, "I… I… I want to know what a boy thinks about these dresses…."

While he was confused at what she meant for a few seconds, it quickly clicked in Yosuke's head. She was trying for a romance, so she wanted to wear something that would be sure to get a guy's attention. He nodded in understanding, and grinned, "Ah, not able to get dates, eh?"

Poor Fuuka's face dropped to a very sad frown, and a few feet away from them, Yukari made a snarling sound of rage. Yosuke turned to see Yukari staring holes into him, causing him to shake his hands, "Sorry!" he whispered loudly to her.

Yukari just rolled her eyes and turned away. He blanched. Well, he definitely set himself back with that now.

His eyes quickly moved away from Yukari to the clothes aisle, and while he had no idea about women's fashion, he decided to go with what Rise wore from memory. That ought to work, he thought to himself. He picked out a yellow sundress, similar to an outfit he saw Rise wearing in the past, and gestured to Fuuka.

Her teal eyes scanned the dress, but she shook her head, "No thank you. I'm sorry, but that's not what I'm looking for."

"Huh, a'ight then," replied Yosuke. He then picked out another outfit, one he had seen quite lately. It was a white dress, coupled with a black cardigan, he had seen Yukiko wear something like this before, and thought, when he looked at Fuuka, that maybe she'd suit it. He grinned, and put it in front of Fuuka's face.

"Yo, Yamagishi-san! What about this?"

Fuuka couldn't help but smile cutely, taking the outfit into her hand, "Oh, I think this would suit me, Hanamura-kun."

Seeing Fuuka's happiness, Yosuke turned over to Yukari and gave her the thumbs up, a gesture she gave a bemused eyebrow to. Well, she wasn't going to react anytime soon, so he decided he'd just see how Fuuka looked like in this dress….

"Um, Hanamura-kun, I'm very grateful, but I would prefer you don't look at me in the changing room…" Fuuka said, visibly blushing. Then, Yosuke clenched his teeth as Yukari spoke up again.

"Fuuka, he's just going to look you up while you're getting changed. I mean, look at him!" Yukari had pointed her finger at him around this point, and Yosuke looked at her with an expression as if to say, 'Who, me?'

"I'd… like Yukari-chan to come with me," Fuuka explained to Yosuke, a hidden light in her eyes, "I appreciate your thoughts, but I know you're trying to trick me!"

The two quickly left for the dressing room, leaving a dejected Yosuke behind. What the man did while he waited, was quickly scan the prices of other dresses, and quickly managed to listen to a few tunes from his MP3 player, but it wasn't before long that the two came back, Fuuka practically beaming, and Yukari….

For once, Yukari's face was lit up, and she grinned fully at Fuuka, "I think that doesn't look half-bad at all! Great choice, Fuuka!"

Yosuke thought he felt a small blaze of heat hit his cheeks, finally seeing her smile. He had never seen her smile before, and now, seeing it for the first time, it really lightened her face and made her, well, even hotter, so he'd say. Instead of saying anything, he decided to keep back while the two discussed with each other, mostly about when Fuuka was going to wear it out.

Then, it hit again. The headache that bugged him back in the nightclub, four nights ago, began to rattle Yosuke's consciousness. While it did hit him again, this time it wasn't a painful throb, and it actually told him who was making it. It was someone with that same power, that same inner psyche, as Yukari and Fuuka.

Yosuke then looked over while Yukari and Fuuka were talking, and raised his eyebrows at a new figure approaching the trio. A blue cap popped out of the aisle, its owner hidden by the clothes aisle. Must be some guy just looking for clothes.

Yosuke was about to return his attentions to the two girls, when suddenly, a tall, somewhat lanky young man rolled around the corner. The cap he had just seen was saddled neatly on his head, he wore a dark blue tanktop, with jeans and white sneakers. Tanned skin, he also had a prominent dark brown goatee, and even had faint sideburns. A bag was clutched in his hand, and his body sagged, as if he were dragging his body around, bored of the place.

Upon looking up and seeing Yukari and Fuuka, though, the new man's bored expression immediately split into a wide grin, and he paced excitedly up to the two girls, much more enthusiastic now. He stopped right next to them, and grinned.

"Sup, Yuka-tan, Fuuka-chan?"

Yukari raised her eyebrows, but a small smile glazed over her features, as she lowered her head and looked up at the man in the cap, "Oh, hey, Junpei. Long time no see."

A delighted smile grew on Fuuka's lips, as she slightly bowed to him, "I'm glad to meet you again, Junpei-san!"

The man, who Yosuke now knew was called Junpei, couldn't keep the grin off his face, "No kiddin'! Man, how long has it been? I mean I keep contact with Fuuka-chan over the net and such, but I thought you kinda disappeared off the face of the earth, Yuka-tan…" he lifted his head up, and just couldn't resist letting his grin grow, "shame if that had happened to a babe like you. Seriously, you should get Twitter or something! It's so… you!"

Yukari rolled her eyes, and shook her head, "No thanks. I don't have time for social media."

Watching this reunion between three friends, Yosuke smirked a little, and sat back, crossing his arms. Maybe here, he could get some more tips about Yukari and her friends. Mostly so it'd be easier to impress her.

Fuuka was the next to speak up, "So Junpei-san, how have you been?"

"Aw man, I've been better. But this sale is awesome, dudettes, seriously! I've never spent so much money in my life!" Junpei held up some grocery bags, unable to keep the smile off his face. He then looked down at the dress Fuuka had in her hands, "Oh~ cute dress, Fuuka-chan!"

The moss headed girl smiled dainty, and nodded, "Yes, it's quite a nice sale they've got going on!"

"Because you never buy anything unless it's cheap!" yelled Yukari, who threw her arms up in exasperation.

The man in the cap smiled, and rubbed the skull of his cap, "Yeah, well, you gotta save those pennies in this tough economy!" however, an unhappy look of bemusement crossed his features, "Seriously. Working double shifts barely pays the rent around here, not easy living on your own," but that brief moment of seriousness shifted to a raised cheeky grin, "especially when Mitsuru-senpai's not paying!"

"Yeah, after you spent all of high school mooching off her, Stupei," the brunette said, rolling her eyes.

"Didn't we all kinda do that? I mean, livin' in the dorm and such," replied Junpei. Yukari stamped her foot, groaning.

"Yeah, well, that was the whole idea!" she shouted, before she slowly eased up, massaging her temples with her hand, "Listen, I've just had a bad morning, okay?"

The man in the bue cap nodded, but then looked over to the assistant Yosuke, nodding at the headphones around his neck, the scanner in his hand and his bored expression. He arched an eyebrow, "I overheard you talking to Yuka-tan and Fuuka-chan, trying to hit on those two hotties~? What's your name, man? I'm Junpei, Junpei Iori!"

Surprised at the man's enthusiastic tone, Yosuke however shook his head, "Yosuke Hanamura here. We were just talking, and I was helping them out! You know, gotta help them, Junes spirit," however, he did grow one of his traditional Junes soul sucking smiles again, while Yukari quickly stamped her foot down, shaking her head at what he had to say.

"Jeez, don't think you've got a chance with me just because of what happened a few nights ago!" Yukari yelled right in Yosuke's face, forcing him straight on his feet.

When she turned around, all eyes were on her: Junpei and Fuuka especially. While Fuuka stared in simple surprise, Junpei's silent stare soon cracked into a wide, excited grin, and he nudged against Yosuke's shoulder.

"Ey~~~ I know what's going on now, you must be Yuka-tan's new boy toy! Way to go, man!"

"Haha, I wish, dude!" Yosuke replied with a chirpy wink.

Junpei just went along with it, his face about to crack with laughter, "Aw man, I didn't know you were into younger guys, Yuka-tan! And after all, I am three months younger then you… so does that give me a chance?"

Yukari instantly hunched up, her face flashing a raging red, while Yosuke, seeing what was to come next for him and Junpei now, sighed and looked away, preparing for a kick to the nuts. Just as long as she didn't kick as hard as Chie, then his lower regions would be fine.

"I'M ONLY 20!" she yelled at Junpei, then she turned to Yosuke, and went right up to his face, "You bet you wish!" yelled the brunette, who immediately raised her arm, turned and slapped Junpei across the face, then did the same to Yosuke, before she turned her back to both young men and paced away, the sound of her flip-flop sandals flicking against the polished floor, "I'm out of here. I don't care about your 50% price cut anymore. You coming along, Fuuka?"

"Yukari-chan!" the other girl worriedly called out. The moss haired girl's eyebrows then knitted unhappily, but she let her head sink down, glancing back at Yosuke and Junpei, holding her new dress in her hands. Rather flustered, the girl bowed in apology, "I'm very sorry, Junpei-san, Hanamura-kun! I'll see you again soon! And thank you for your help too, Hanamura-kun!" she said, before she turned tail and chased after Yukari.

That left just Yosuke and Junpei at the aisle. The slap Yukari had given him wasn't hard at all, and was more like a minor sting. In fact, the small welt she left on his cheek would probably go away in an hour or so.

What hurt more was the fact that he had made a bad impression on her: he had hoped that today, he would help Yukari get a better idea of what who he was, and… he failed again. Yosuke shrugged, it wasn't like he was going anywhere for the next few weeks, and now that he knew some of her friends, it'd make it easier to get into contact with her.

The brown haired boy looked over at Junpei, and could immediately feel a camaraderie forming between the two. While he didn't think much of Junpei at first, the lanky cap man was quickly making a very good impression on Yosuke, and that impression? Junpei was a total bro.

Junpei smiled, but unlike the last few times, where it had been full of enthusiasm and energy, this smile was a slightly sadder one. His gray eyes glanced over at Yosuke, who replied with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yo, Hanamura-kun… Yuka-tan's usually more spirited then that. She's always been rather moody, but not like that. Maybe she's just having _that_ time of the month again…" Junpei's mouth tried to twitch into an enthusiastic smile, but it failed, dropping into an even sadder grimace.

Yosuke adjusted his apron with a stray finger, biting his lip as he thought to himself what was going on, "Yeah, like what? I've dealt with worse… you should imagine being kicked in the nuts over _Trial of the Dragon_."

Junpei laughed out loud, his smile brightening now, "That stupid kung fu movie? Man, I'm sure glad we never had anyone like that in the dorm. Then again, you should be glad you never met our senpai… her and her 'executions'. Ain't nothin' like bein' frozen in ice alive!"

A wave of pale suddenly washed over Yosuke's face. His eyes shot wide open, and his pupils were pinpricks from sheer fear. His lips were sealed shut, quivering, as mental images played from his mind. When he thought of executions and being frozen in the same sentence, he only imagined that Kirijo woman, a total babe, who, as Teddie put it, 'was bear-y cold, but bear-y hot!'

"I think I've met your senpai, then… she executed me as well…" whined Yosuke. The second the older man heard it, his hand slapped his forehead, and he exploded into a fit of laughter. However, people started to look at him, so he ceased his laughter and put his volume down. Yosuke gave him a harsh look, unamused by Junpei's reaction.

Junpei simply pouted, "What? Come on man, not every day I heard some other guy also got executed by Mitsuru-senpai!"

"You wouldn't be laughing if you got kicked in the nuts by Satonaka…" Yosuke murmured, mostly beneath his breath. Seriously, that hurt like a mother, and while he wished Junpei would never endure that same pain, he just knew Chie would be all too happy to give someone like the cap wearing joker a Galactic Punt.

However, a beeping sound was heard in Yosuke's jeans, and he took his pager out from his pocket, giving the device a displeased glare. It was basically a warning for him to get down to a certain area, so he gave a sympathetic look to Junpei.

"Sorry Iori-san, but I gotta go work now."

However, Junpei cocked an eyebrow, and smirked, "Yo, you can call me Junpei-san if you want, I'm not really all that for formality and such. Besides, you seem like a pretty cool guy! How you wanna hang out tomorrow? Maybe we can bring along Fuuka-chan…" and then, his smirk grew wider, "and Yuka-tan too?"

Yosuke also agreed that he thought Junpei was a pretty awesome guy so far. He just knew he and the cap wearer were going to get along just fine, but hearing the possibility of Yukari coming along really brightened what could be a potentially great day. Perhaps he could finally get a chance to show her what he was about? He vigorously nodded, and gave a thumbs up as well.

"That sounds great!" said Yosuke. Junpei grinned, and gave his own thumbs up in response, then waved goodbye as he decided to turn back and head off first, until he quickly sneezed. Yosuke turned his back to Junpei, and couldn't help a smile on his face: although, what was up with Yukari? Junpei was onto something before the conversation went elsewhere….

* * *

**With Yukari and Fuuka**

She didn't understand what was going on. Today, she had a bad morning, and maybe she was a bit wrong in taking it out on the Hanamura kid, even if he did make rather perverted remarks and kept staring at her. But there was also something else that bothered her… something… wrong, brewing inside her.

It made her rather sick to her stomach, and she didn't like it. It was if she wanted to reject all the lessons she had learnt from her time at S.E.E.S., lean back onto her true desires, and be something her primitive instincts wanted to be, instead of who she had been for the last few years of her life. It wasn't right. Yet, it was a desire all the same….

Yukari's footsteps slapped against the pavement, earphones jammed into her ears to block out the sounds of the road to her right, of cars going down Port Island highways. She stared straight ahead, ignoring everything around her, letting her music filter into her ears and help her zone out.

It wasn't until _he_ came along that she really bothered to listen to music outside of studying, and had it not been for _him_, she would have remained deaf to the tasteful singers and bands he introduced her to. There was Yumi Kawamura, who was one of her favorite singers, whose song, _Brand New Days_, made her think of the future, and what _he_ wanted for all of them, especially when she first heard it with Aigis after the incident with the Abyss of Time.

That moment, the two solidifying their friendship while singing along to that one song, was one of her most treasured memories. Not to mention the adorable humor that was Aigis trying to sing. And yet, that feeling in her, brought up a mixture of feelings she wanted to keep down, keep locked up forever, including envy for the android.

Her thoughts were broken by the sounds of shoes clicking against the pavement. Yukari switched off her MP3 player and looked over to see Fuuka's short green hair bouncing in the wind, Junes bag in hand, her turtleneck dress flowing. She had a worried expression on her face, as she sped up her steps.

"Yukari-chan!" called the silky soft voice of Fuuka.

Yukari ceased her movement, and turned around to see the girl standing there, her face softening up, "Yeah, Fuuka? Sorry about walking off like that, just… needed to get away."

Fuuka nodded, and began getting closer to her, "Yeah, I get what you mean… just not having a good week, aren't you? Did you get enough sleep last night?"

The brunette nodded, her mouth now a slightly sad frown, her pink lips open, "I slept fine," she lied, when in fact, she had been tossing and turning in bed all night after seeing that awful thing in the TV. She had only gotten about… three, four hours worth of sleep last night, and she had to cover the bags with makeup, "It's all been a little too much lately… I mean now Junpei's back, and there's also that Hanamura kid. He's way too much for me… and he's just... I dunno."

A smiling Fuuka leaned over to the left side of her peripheral vision, diverting Yukari's sight to her, "I think Hanamura-kun is rather sweet. He does say things before he thinks them through, though, but I think he'd be right for you," the young adult admitted. Yukari snorted.

"What do you mean, 'right for me'?" she gave a rather deep look at Fuuka, "What are you on about?"

Fuuka simply kept her pleasant expression up, "I think he would be a good friend. You should try giving him a chance."

"After he hits on me twice in a row? NOOOO thank you," Yukari frowned, eyes comically going to half-mast, "besides, he reminds me way too much of Junpei, and it's bad enough having one Junpei around."

The green haired girl simply nodded, "But even so, I think you should give him a second chance. I think he's fond of you."

It was then that Yukari sighed, and looked down on the ground, trying to avoid Fuuka's eyes. She didn't like this, the Yosuke kid was still a total mystery to her, and yet, he was such a total idiot as well towards her. Their encounters had been awkward thus far. She stopped walking, and looked down at her feet, while her mind thought about it.

There had to be something up with him: ever since he encountered her, she had been feeling even more anxious, annoyed, and otherwise more temperamental than usual. It wasn't like she was even having _that_ time of the month again. The bubbling feeling in her stomach rose, worrying her further.

But Yukari thought… maybe, just maybe, it was just a bad day. _He_ had told her when she was sad or having an 'episode' to always look to the new day, and that she ought to just let the past be the past. Plus, she knew that Fuuka always wanted everyone to get along, hell she was one of the reasons the S.E.E.S. team didn't fracture more often.

She looked over to Fuuka, and smiled at her friend, "Okay. We'll do that tomorrow, when it's a new day."

* * *

**Hotel Room, 22:30**

Although they were free to go at 20:00, Mr. Hanamura had made sure to spend the last two hours cleaning up and making sure everything was ready for another day of the sale for Port Island's Junes. He had asked if he could work another day for the glory of Junes, but the manager refused to let him work at the Junes, saying that while Mr. Hanamura's enthusiasm was appreciated, it was just too much for them.

After they had finally made it back to the hotel room, Yosuke was ready to collapse, but managed to gather enough strength to open his laptop and keep up to date with the latest news, gossip, and last but certainly not least, Twitter updates. With a bound in his typing, Yosuke typed up his new update, and waited to see if any of his friends from Inaba would say anything.

* * *

_**Twitter Update from #jiraiya (Yosuke Hanamura)**_

"_cool day 2day met teh babe again at junes also met sum new guys."_

* * *

However, Yosuke soon got a reply on Twitter: one that made his eyebrows narrow and his lips go on narrow ends.

* * *

_**Reply from #fsteak (Chie Satonaka)**_

"_lol yosuke such a liar"_

* * *

He typed back, rather furiously.

* * *

_**Reply from #jiraiya**_

"_im not lyin ok shes hot im serious and her friend is real cute"_

_**Reply from #fsteak**_

"_yh rite i bet u scared her off already :D"_

* * *

Yosuke was about to type another reply to Chie, despite his common sense nagging him to ignore her trolling, when there was a new message, one that made his eyes widen.

* * *

_**Reply from #hotstud (Yukiko Amagi)**_

"_Ah, I see what is happening. Internet tough guy boasting. If Hanamura-kun is telling the truth, I ask for pictures, or it didn't happen."_

_**Reply from #fsteak**_

"_LOL EPIC YUKI IS EPIC"_

_**Reply from #jiraiya**_

"_no pics k"_

* * *

Rolling his eyes, Yosuke shut the lid down on his laptop, rolling his eyes. He then looked at the clock, 22:52, and he had agreed to go meet Junpei… can't be tired then. Yosuke moved over to his futon, slipped into it, and rested his head on the pillow, adjusting his back so he was comfortable inside. He smiled to himself, hopefully Yukari could make it… but she was being really withdrawn, and it seemed she wasn't usually like this, considering what her friends were reacting towards her.

His thoughts soon drifted into nothingness, as he fell asleep, waiting for a brand new day.

**Does Yosuke have what it takes to woo Yukari without annoying her AGAIN? Will he and Junpei become bros? Did Yosuke actually help Fuuka find a good dress? Find out, next time!**

**Reviews and critiques are much appreciated.**


	4. Polyrhythm

**Port 4: Polyrhythm**

**Author Note: For readers who are in the know about P4 Arena spoilers, please note that in this story, the majority of events from the game's story are based on arcade mode, with a dash of some story paths, as the possible sequel will definitely AU this story.**

**UPDATED 8/6**

_In this chapter: Yukari is in a good mood for once, Junpei is a bro, and Yosuke even tries out something Fuuka makes._

* * *

**That afternoon**

As he left Junes, bags in hand, Junpei had looked around to see if he could still spot Yukari and Fuuka, but by that time, they were already far gone. He rubbed his head, smiling awkwardly to himself as he adjusted his cap, so the flap hid his face from the blaring afternoon sun. The humid Japanese summers had always been something he never exactly liked in the country, but he got used to it, plus it allowed him to see sexy girls wearing less and less each day.

When his mind drifted to thoughts of said sexy girls, he smiled at meeting Yukari and Fuuka again. Fuuka had been getting better at socializing with each time they met, but the social bird herself, Yukari? She was a lot more distant then he remembered, aloof, he'd even say. And he knew that it wasn't that Hanamura guy. Even if he was annoying the hell out of her, she wouldn't have acted completely aloof in front of him.

The last time Junpei had met Yukari, around April, she had been happy, chatty, snarky and otherwise normal Yuka-tan, just like she was back in high school, but now, he thought her new, colder, snappier attitude was something he didn't like at all. Something was wrong with Yukari, and he worried for his friend.

His stomach churned a little inside as he remembered her transformation from cheerful teenager to spiteful, selfish bitch in the Abyss of Time. He could still remember her brief descent into grief fueled madness, saved when she realized she was _wrong_, and while he sympathized, Junpei was also revolted at her selfishness. And while he was no expert at that sort of psychological crap, he always figured that, while she and Aigis had moved on from _his_ death, neither of them had truly gotten over losing _him_.

In S.E.E.S. reunions, or as they were called now, the Shadow Operatives, it was often an unspoken code not to speak of _him_ in front of Aigis or Yukari, as it opened far too much past wounds.

Even when they worked together for the Shadow Operatives, Junpei made sure to keep references to 'the Tartarus days' to a minimum (luckily, Mitsuru didn't call him, Yukari, Ken or Fuuka often, putting them as 'part time' operatives. This was to give them their own lives, and let them have something other than fighting Shadows).

Sure, it had been three years, and Junpei was a staunch believer in the saying that, 'time heals all wounds', but he could understand. There were still times where he remembered Chidori, watching her draw the little things in nature, and felt a hollowing pain echo in his chest. He still wished he could have saved her. She deserved to live and prosper, but… she gave her life for him.

A life that he had already begun to let go to waste.

"Man, thinking about all this stuff is making me feel a lot more miserable now," Junpei muttered to himself. He looked up and saw the sun was starting to slowly drape itself towards the horizon, and decided he'd go spend some time in the arcade before going home, "Maybe the _Guilty Gear 3_ machine's finally working again," Junpei grinned to himself.

Three hours later, after killing time playing fighting games and beating teenage kids at _Guilty Gear_ (using Slayer never got old), Junpei strolled out of the arcade in Iwatodai Station and began walking down the road, approaching his apartment. A fifteen minute walk later, he approached an apartment complex. Bags in hand, Junpei took the elevator up, and walked over to his door, pulling his apartment key out of his pocket and sliding it open.

He gently opened the door and entered, taking off his sneakers, "Yo, Koro!" cried Junpei enthusiastically, "I got some food cheap~ looks like we're having good dinner tonight, pal!"

Junpei got silence, and he simply smiled to himself, adjusting his cap, "Eh, must be still on his walk," muttered the capped man.

He looked around his apartment, it was small and had one bedroom, but had decent furbishing, with a TV and PlayStation 3 at the corner, a large window at the side (so Koromaru could get in and out easily), a corner with a basket with a bowl of half-eaten kibble, or as he jokingly called it, Koromaru's Korner, and a fridge past the entrance, with the rest of the apartment covered in dirty magazines, leftover clothes, and other things.

It also felt very lonely.

He sat down on the floor and picked up a controller, turning on the machine. Loading up a copy of _Catherine_, he began to divert his attentions to solving the ball-busting puzzles of the game and escape his problems. Without a care, Junpei also picked up a bottle of beer (Junes brand beer at that too), used the coffee table to pop open the cap. He started to drink it absent-minded, feeling the sweet liquor pour down his throat… then, he paused, and went wide eyed to what he was drinking.

"Gah!" with a shout, he slammed the bottle down onto the table, and put his hand to his face, squeezing his eyes shut, "This ain't what I hoped to spend my days doing… man, I'm just gonna be like my dad at this rate…."

He then opened them, an intense expression on his eyes, "Like hell I'll end up like him."

As he continued to play the game, Junpei didn't notice a white furred Shiba Inu used his muzzle to shift open the window, and he bounced on the wardrobe, before landing on the floor. His red eyes gleamed with a youthful energy and loyalty, as he looked up at Junpei.

Junpei's attention drifted from the game, and to the dog. A hearty smile formed on Junpei's mouth, and he put the controller down to walk over to the dog, stroking his head tenderly, "Hey Koromaru. How was your walk?"

Koromaru barked happily, his tongue lolling past his black lip. Junpei chuckled, and leaned down to be the level of the dog he considered not to be a pet, but a friend. He put his hand out, and the dog raised his right paw in return, "Shake!" said Junpei, and he grinned as he and Koromaru shook hand-and-paw. Junpei's grin soon faded into melancholy, the corners of his mouth tucked in.

Guessing the isolated atmosphere around him, Koromaru's eyes took a sadder shine to them, and he whined softly. Junpei stroked his head, frowning, "I know boy. Things ain't what we want them to be… but we gotta deal with what we gotta deal with, ya know?" but, to try and ease the mood, he grinned, "Guess what Koro? I met Yuka-tan and Fuuka-chan today, and I also met this new guy. I'll take you to see them tomorrow, eh?"

The dog barked happily, and Junpei then felt there that maybe everything will be alright.

* * *

**The next morning**

**_July 9th, 2013_  
**

Yosuke had got up this morning with a bounce in his step, and a great enthusiasm behind him. And why was that? He had some friends to spend his vacation with, and he just knew that he was going to have a strong friendship with the man in the cap, Junpei Iori. Both of them were laidback, chill guys, so Yosuke thought, and that only made him think of the man as a future friend even more.

Fuuka Yamagishi seemed quite nice, if rather timid and shy, but she appeared to be a peaceful young woman.

And Yukari Takeba… Yosuke would make it no secret that he thought she was a smoking hot babe, but so far all he got was some really extreme mood swings and coldness directed right at him. Maybe he just needed to back off for a bit, and instead of trying to get into her pants, something he realized now would probably never happen in the current opening phases (given that she seemed to hate his guts), he could start being her friend… and try working up to something better.

Yeah, that would be nice.

He quickly slipped a light red shirt on, and adjusted his black jeans, before walking down the kitchen and slipping into his sneakers. Making sure to avoid his father's attempts to have him work at Junes _again_, Yosuke had quickly bolted out the door and went down the elevator, soon appearing at the hotel's lobby. There, hands in pockets and whistling to himself, he walked out of the entrance, and into the street, headphones in ears. His head bounced to the tunes, and he soon stopped and leaned against a tree, quickly dialing Junpei's number on his phone.

He heard the dial tone, and pressed his phone against his ear. Yosuke waited for someone to pick up, tapping his foot against the floor while he waited for the line to hold. Eventually, the connection started as the chilled tone of Junpei's voice echoed into the phone.

"Yo?"

"Sup, Junpei-san!" chanted an excited Yosuke.

"Aw man, Hanamura-kun! I couldn't get a hold of Fuuka-chan, but Yuka-tan's coming around! Where you wanna meet up?"

Yosuke's grin got a lot wider when he heard the news about Yukari, he definitely felt a lot more energized now, "I dunno dude, how about Junes or something? I might be able to get us free drinks or something 'cause I work there."

"Free drinks? Awesome, I'm cool with that."

"Cool~ seeya in 15." Yosuke then snapped his phone shut, and sighed in relief. Remembering the instructions from yesterday, Yosuke walked over to the Junes in Port Island, and looked at the entrance, surrounded by tables with people drinking and talking. He grimaced at the thought that just yesterday he was working there, standing in front of the entrance with a soul sucking smile on his face. That was an experience he wouldn't want to repeat again, at least over in Port Island.

Yosuke soon found an empty bench with enough room for six people. He sat down and put his arms on the table, bouncing his head to the music while he waited for Junpei, quickly talking the girl behind the store to give him enough free drinks for three people, thanks to using his status as a 'Junes scion'. As he sipped on a soda, he quietly waited, rapping the bench with his knuckles.

It didn't take long before Susano-o buzzed, and Junpei showed up, strolling by. But this time, he had someone new with him.

Or, really, some_thing_ new.

"Sup, Hanamura-kun!" said Junpei, who had a leash on his hand. Said leash lead to a collar, which was around the neck of a white Shiba Inu with red eyes, who panted happily as he walked alongside Junpei.

Yosuke waved over to Junpei, and grinned, "Yo, Junpei-san! The drinks are free, my treat, so pick up a bottle if you want!" and just as he said that, Junpei's hand reached out for a bottle of soda, the man grinned as he popped the lid off and skulled down the drink. He also picked up a bottle of water for the dog, and sat down on the bench.

"Thanks man, just what I needed," he smiled. Then his eyes widened as if he forgot something, and he tilted his cap with his hand. Junpei's other hand rubbed the head of the dog, who smiled at his friend, "Oh, dude, this is Koromaru. Koromaru, this is Hanamura."

Koromaru looked at him, and barked with interest. Yosuke waved over to him, grinning. This dog seemed really friendly, and wasn't at all hostile. He immediately felt a cold sweat when he remembered back in his early years, when he had to avoid angry dogs as well as garbage. Hell, he was sure Chie's Saint Bernard had bitten him on the ass once or twice.

Junpei popped open the water bottle, and poured the water down over Koromaru, who lapped it up with glee. He then looked over to Yosuke, and flashed a grin, "So, I gotta say, where you from? I've never seen you around these parts."

Yosuke flashed a confident smile, "I'm from Inaba. Well, from Tokyo originally."

"Naba? What's that?"

"_Inaba_. It's a little town out in rural Japan: a few hours from here. Only landmark there is a Junes."

Junpei nodded, still pouring water for Koromaru, possibly unaware he was getting it all over the bench, "Ah, so like, one of those really boring towns, huh? Did you come here to make it big or…?"

"It ain't boring!" Yosuke responded snappily, then he relaxed into a mellow gaze, "I mean, yeah, it's really quiet and there's not much, but it's got lots of great people."

The cap wearing man nodded his head, and when he realized the bottle of water was gone, he shrugged and went back to drinking his soda, "I get you man…" then he grinned again, unable to hold his excitement, tilting his head up, "so what's this between you and Yuka-tan? You seem really interested in her, you tried to hit on her or something?"

Had anybody like Yu or Yukiko had asked, Yosuke would have explained about Susano-o's strange actions over the past few days. Susano-o seemed to be calming down, so maybe it was just a shock, or a false alarm. He knew Personas tried to draw users towards each other, but he couldn't say if Yukari, Junpei or Fuuka was a Persona user….

Wait, didn't he hear Fuuka's voice before?

But he then went back to Junpei's question, and grinned nervously, "We met one night, I was being nice, but she didn't bite."

A hearty laugh came from Junpei, who looked rather amused, "Oh yeah? Don't feel down man. Yuka-tan's always been rejecting guys left and right… hell, I can only think of one guy who she actually dated, and…" he trailed off and his eyebrows lifted sadly, Junpei drifted his attentions down to his drink while he spoke again, "ah, you know, you don't want to know about it."

Yosuke cocked an eyebrow. Junpei's reaction was an interesting one, but he was a little worried by what he meant. If Junpei was telling the truth, then Yukari was a really hard catch, or at least had really high standards. Yet given her personality, maybe she just scared or ran guys off.

"But never mind about that!" his tone became much more carefree, and he grinned, "You wanna know what Yuka-tan digs?" said Junpei. His grin noticeably grew when Yosuke put his head towards him, the brown haired boy rather interested in what the guy had to say.

"Tell me more," replied Yosuke. Junpei looked up at the sky, then, with no hesitation, pointed at his goatee. He tapped his finger against the dark hair on his chin.

"You gotta grow one of these! Chicks dig the goatee, man!"

Yosuke briefly wondered if that were true. A stray finger tapped against his smooth chin, no fuzz from it thanks to a solid shave, and then, realized. Facial hair is so… old man style! If he were to grow even a goatee, he'd look pretty damn old! Yosuke froze at the spot, then he pointed at Junpei, "Hey, how do you know that'd work!"

"Trust me man, I'm an expert!" so claimed Junpei, lifting his head back with a big, lecherous grin, "I've gotten my fair share of hot babes~"

"Yep, and they all ditched you after the first pickup line," a feminine voice snarked. Koromaru barked happily, and both males turned around to see Yukari striding over to their table, handbag strapped over her bare left shoulder, glancing neutrally at both guys. She also had her smartphone on her ear, and she shot a sideways glance at a voice over the phone.

Yosuke's entire face dropped into a happy grin, he really felt enthusiastic when he saw her around. He nodded at her sleeveless white tank top, pale jeans and heeled open-toed shoes, taking note of her good sense of dress, and quickly raised himself off his chair, walking up to Yukari, "Hey, Takeba-san! I-"

She put her hand in front, cutting him off, "No, it's just some guy, sorry about that," she spoke into the phone, ignoring Yosuke's despairing frown, "so when do you want me to come in? Tonight? Tomorrow morning?" the voice over the phone spoke again, and she groaned, rolling her eyes with a stomp of her foot, "What? Next week? Come on, I seriously need this! Can you put the shoot forward? I've got bills to pay, and-"

The voice yammered on in Yukari's ear, and Yosuke cocked an eyebrow, interested in the conversation. However, she turned away from him, while she moaned at what the male voice had to say. Finally, she glanced down at the ground, looking rather dejected. "Huh… okay… yeah, next week's fine then. I'll be there. Bye."

She snapped the phone shut and put it into her handbag, audibly groaning. Yosuke smiled at her, and when she turned around, her frown grew a lot colder. "Oh. Hey, Hanamura," she brushed past him, causing Yosuke to shudder at how cold it was, "Junpei," she raised a hand in greeting, a gesture Junpei returned.

An adorable squeal of delight was heard, combined with barking. A startled Yosuke turned around to see Koromaru bouncing softly against Yukari, her hands rubbing his head, a huge smile on her face, "Awww! Koro-chan, I haven't seen you in months! Who's a good boy~? Who's a good doggie~?"

He couldn't help a grin. Most girls seemed to like cute things, and it seemed that Yukari was the same. Then again nothing charmed women like an adorable pooch, so Yosuke had figured out from his limited experience.

Yukari quickly sat down, shouting in surprise as Koromaru sat on her lap, the young woman looking rather happy for once with the dog. And frankly, to Yosuke, it was rather cute to see her be like this.

Yukari took a bottle of water, and snorted when she saw the soda Yosuke and Junpei were drinking, taking a sip of the clear liquid before she spoke, "At least someone here thinks of health and dental hygiene."

"Oh come on Yuka-tan~ last time I remembered, back in high school you gorged on Wild Duck Burger with me and Minato-"

Junpei immediately stopped, and Yosuke noted a solemn expression cross Yukari's face. She stared at her water bottle, and then looked away silently.

"Um… Minato?" Yosuke blurted. He looked over to Junpei, whose face took a melancholic turn as he looked down at Koromaru, who whimpered sadly in response.

"It's none of your business!" Yukari quickly snapped.

Yosuke's eyes sparked with a faint glare at her, "Just asking."

Yosuke then lessened his glare. The atmosphere had grown a lot tenser, and he didn't like it, but he thought about that name. Minato… he had never heard that name before. And yet, Yukari, Junpei and the dog seemed upset thinking about that name. Past wounds, maybe? It certainly provoked the analyst and investigator in him, and he really wondered just what this Minato's connection to the three was. But he did need to lighten the mood right now.

Yosuke paused, and looked at the two of them, intent on changing the subject. Plus he was rather interested to hear their tale, "So, Junpei-san, Takeba-san, how do you guys know each other?"

Yukari stared at her drink, while Junpei suddenly grinned, all too happy to tell, "Oh man, me and Yuka-tan go back a while."

"We're high school buddies," explained Yukari, "he moved to Port Island at eighth grade, we used to be in each other's classes."

Junpei couldn't resist a big grin, and winked over at Yosuke with a nudge towards Yukari, "Yuka-tan always was really cute."

"And Junpei's always been Stupei," snarked Yukari, who showed satisfaction at Junpei's grimace.

Yosuke nodded in response, "So you go back a while. That's pretty cool, yesterday you guys acted like you hadn't seen each other for a while."

Junpei took a sip of his cola, and grinned over at Yukari, "Aw man, that's true! Me and Yuka-tan haven't met since April! Speaking of that…" he adjusted himself and smiled at Yukari, "how's everything going, Yuka-tan?"

Yukari just smiled a little, and put the bottle of water to her lips, "Not too bad... work's getting low. Hoping I sign that contract soon... can't wait to be on that magazine."

"Aw man, you're so hot, I think they'd be stupid if they don't sign you! I'm rooting for you, Yuka-tan!" Junpei grinned. Yukari moaned into her palm, kneading her forehead with her fingers.

"It's not like you'd even buy the magazine, Stupei. It's not those stupid swimsuit magazines you always get."

Junpei's jaw dropped sadly, "Awwww man!"

Yukari flashed a smug look at Junpei, and continued to snark at him, "But don't worry~ I'm sure you're not able to comprehend actual photography~"

Yosuke bit his lip at how harsh some of her comments were, but luckily, Junpei had a thick skin, and didn't seem upset at them. Junpei just leaned back, taken by the comments.

"Ah, so harsh, Yuka-tan~"

He felt it was his time to speak up, "So, what about swimsuits? Takeba-san, are you into photography?" he asked, although she actually looked too hot to be a photographer, so Yosuke thought. Yukari didn't respond, and just bit her lip.

Suddenly, it was as if a light bulb went off in Junpei's head, and he grinned, "That reminds me of what I heard happened one night back in high school~ it was during the Tanabata festival, I think?"

That remark right there was enough to make Yukari's jaw drop, and her face seemed to flush a sudden glare of red, before it went to a pale, "W-w-wha- don't tell those kind of stories!" she yelled, but Junpei only kept on grinning. As he went on his story though, Yosuke saw Yukari give Junpei unpleasant stares. Very unpleasant stares.

"This story's gonna make you laugh, Hanamura. So it was the festival of love~ and me, Yukari and this one guy went out to celebrate, and we decided to have some fun and goof off~ but you see, Yuka-tan had gone off to a _special_ hotel. So me, Akihiko-senpai and the guy went off to find her, and it turns out, she was just having a shower in her hotel room~ I wonder who she was cleaning up for~"

Yukari's eyes went wide, then narrowed in rage, "WHAT? That's not how- I mean, that didn't even happen! I mean, don't take it like that, don't say stuff like that to Hanamura!" she yelled, rather flustered.

"Oh wow, why would you go into one of _those_ hotels anyway, Takeba-san?" teased Yosuke, who couldn't help but laugh. He also felt a dash of red on his cheeks, as he thought of Yukari at a love hotel.

Yukari then narrowed her eyes at both boys. "Oh you know what? I thought it'd be nice to spend a morning just relaxing, then I realized, with STUPEI here and Hanamura there, that's just impossible!" she yelled.

She stood up straight, and paused with a foul glare aimed at both guys, before she turned her back to them and walked off, leaving the two guys and a dog to watch. Koromaru audibly whimpered, and Yukari shot him a sympathetic glare.

"I'm sorry Koro-chan, just that these two idiots don't know about privacy."

"Damn," Yosuke muttered under his breath. He'd blown it with Yukari again, well, more like Junpei had to go on about stories like that. As annoyed as he was, granted, that was a funny story….

As Yukari stormed off, another female figure arrived at Junes, this time dressed in a green sundress that flowed down to her knees, and summer shoes on her feet. Junpei stopped drinking from his cola and grinned, waving over to the new girl, "Hey, Fuuka-chan!"

There was Fuuka, carrying a plastic bag with what looked like a small box inside it. She looked over her shoulder to see Yukari pacing off, causing a frown to cross over her face. She turned her head, her braid briefly swaying with momentum.

"What happened to Yukari-chan, Junpei-kun?"

Junpei shrugged, stretching his arms out and yawning, laying his hands behind his back, "I dunno. We just started telling stories and she got mad over one."

"What kind of stories?" asked Fuuka.

"Ah, you know, all the old stories back when we were in high school," when Fuuka's eyes opened wide in what looked like sad surprise to Yosuke, Junpei shook his head slowly. "Nah, not any of _those_ stories…"

That caught Yosuke's attention. He adjusted himself forward on his seat, clearly interested in _those stories_. "What kind of stories?"

The second he said that, Junpei seemed to go white, and Fuuka's own face flushed free of color. Yosuke's curiosity was stroked now, and he was going to get an answer. Junpei was the first to speak, drinking his cola to try and hide his expression behind the can, "They're just, er, more… private stories, Hanamura!"

Fuuka nodded a bit eagerly for his liking, "Yes! I think we may have to tell you them later down the line. I don't think they… suit the mood that we want right now. Yes, that's it."

She then lifted up the bento box, and put it on the table, looking away from Yosuke. Her green eyes then rolled back to him, and she gave a wide smile at the boy, "Oh, Hanamura-kun, would you…" she stopped, trying to think of what to say, rather nervous.

As the scene began to unfold, Yukari came back, this time with a calmer expression, and hopefully disposition as well. Seemed all she needed was a few minutes to calm down. Yosuke noticed her, and winked to her, causing her to snarl at him.

Then, his attention was caught by Fuuka opening the bento box, causing a strange smell to filter into his nostrils.

"Would you… like to try out my beef soup? I made it myself, and I would love for someone to try it out…" Fuuka bleated. That adorable voice, and the sincerity in which she said it in, broke down Yosuke's defenses. He couldn't resist a fragile cutie asking him to try something out, no matter what.

He smiled, and sat down on the bench, raising his chopsticks with a hand. Then when he saw the oozing, bubbling, light green stew with what looked like purple strands of meat, he felt like he was going to be sick. "I dunno, Yamagishi-san. I know it looks like crap, hopefully it doesn't taste like it though."

He said this as he remembered the perfectly good looking meals Chie, Yukiko and Rise would cook, which then turned out to be pure evil in food format (although Rise wasn't bad, she just put in way too much spice). In his mind, Fuuka's cooking would be the opposite: terrible to look at, but absolutely amazing. Plus Fuuka was much nicer then Chie, at least.

Fuuka bit her lower lip at Yosuke's careless remark, looking rather upset either way.

After a brief flash of rage across her face, Yukari could barely hide back a smirk, "Well, Hanamura's dead~"

Junpei, on the other hand, jutted his lower lip out, eyes bulging at Yosuke's foolishness… and bravery, although given that the guy had never obviously known about how lethal Fuuka's cooking was… "Aw man, he's not gonna like spending the night in a hospital," then, Junpei raised his voice, "hey, bro! Ya don't want to eat that! It'll make you sick!"

Yosuke turned his head to the two, and cocked an eyebrow at Junpei, briefly clicking his chopsticks together in his fingers, "Eh? Why not? I'm sure it's not going to taste bad."

That response was enough to make Fuuka actually turn a little red, and she giggled, appearing rather flustered by Yosuke's praise.

Junpei's eyes shifted left-to-right, as if he were trying to think of an excuse to convince him not to eat it. Then, his eyes lit up, "It's… it's poisonous!"

Again, Yosuke cocked another eyebrow, leaving both eyebrows raised in disbelief, "Ya think, Junpei-san? No one's gonna poison me: besides, Yamagishi-san's not a witch or anything like that!" he then looked over at Fuuka, and saw she was rather nervous, shifting her feet, clutching her hands together, and otherwise looking like it was life-or-death for the young woman. However, she then smiled at him.

Yukari's lips twitched into surprise neutrality, her eyes widening, "I… didn't think he was serious."

"Aw man, this ain't good!" cried a worried Junpei.

Yosuke, however, had no idea of his impending death (or if he was lucky, an overnight stay at the hospital from food poisoning). He simply bowed, and picked up a piece of beef from the bowl, "Thanks for the meal!" he grinned.

He clicked his fingers together, holding the beef piece, green goo dripping down the strip and into the soup. He winced looking at it, but Yosuke's tongue flicked through his lips, he was awaiting paradise to greet his taste buds, but had to savor each piece of it. He began to pull the meat closer towards him, opening his mouth wider.

Fuuka, Yukari, and Junpei watched with widening eyes, Junpei in particular shaking his head, "Don't tell me he's actually gonna…."

Yukari nodded, "Yep, he's gonna eat it."

Yosuke's tongue lolled out, ready to collect the meat and begin to consume the meal.

And with no hesitation, he dropped the meat onto his tongue, and rolled it back into his mouth, his teeth moving to chew it….

Then it hit. Yosuke's knees felt like jelly, and his muscles seemed to turn to mush, unable to keep him sitting up. His body jilted and tilted, and his sight began to blur, as if he were spinning around endlessly. His throat burned, and Yosuke put his hands to his throat, gasping for air as the poison piece drifted down his digestive system. What the hell was happening? Wide, gaping, glassy eyes stared out at a worried Fuuka, and then he looked over to Junpei and Yukari, who were staring in surprise.

They suddenly turned into psychedelic colors, and Yosuke's entire field of vision transformed the colors of real life into whirling, twirling psychedelic. As his body sank to the ground, he saw all kinds of weird visions, from Chie, Yukiko, Rise, Naoto, Mitsuru, Yukari and Fuuka dressed as showgirls, doing kick ups together at a grand stage, showing off their fine legs with each kick, Yu drinking a can of Mad Bull with no shirt on, Kanji turning into a volcano, a rave party with everyone in the Investigation Team surrounding Yu and Akihiko, who were stripping, to a green Teddie clad in boxing gloves in a fighting stance.

"Put 'em up, Yosuke! Bear-st me in the contest of manly men, bear-oxing!"

Before he could even begin to understand what the hell was going on, Yosuke's whole world went to black as he was picked up by medical staff, and he was shifted into an ambulance.

* * *

**An unspecified amount of time later….**

His throat felt dry. His eyes wouldn't open on their own. He was definitely coming back to reality, but his world remained dark as he struggled to snap out of his stupor. As his world went back to normal, he heard the sounds of a manly yell, and his vision suddenly cleared over to see his mother and father leaning over him, concern written over both parents' faces. Well, that and rage in the case of Mr. Hanamura.

"I warned you, I warned you Hiromu! Our son wouldn't have been poisoned if he had gone to Junes!"

"Yusuke, you idiot! Yosuke _was_ at Junes! One of his new friends just cooked something for him!"

"She wouldn't have poisoned him had she bought Junes ingredients!"

"Actually, she did buy Junes ingredients."

Mr. Hanamura was silent for a few seconds, until… "Well, she must have made it on non-Junes cookery tools!"

Mrs. Hanamura sighed in disbelief, but then, Yosuke moaned, stirring from his slumber. Her eyes took a hopeful shine to them, and as his vision began to clear up, he saw her face in front of his. "M… Mom?" he muttered weakly, as consciousness returned to him.

"Yosuke! I heard everything! I'm so glad you're safe!"

Yosuke went tight-lipped, stunned that his mother was still talking to him like a child because he had a stroke with bad food, "I'm 19. Don't need to be babied," he muttered as he sat up in bed, "besides, why am I in hospital? I was just at Junes…."

Mrs. Hanamura paused, and bit her lip nervously, "Er, from what the doctor said, you ingested something called 'Mystery Food X', which gave you minor food poisoning due to the poor cookery methods-"

"Aha! I knew it wasn't Junes! I told you Hiromu, Junes can do no wrong-"

"And the cheap ingredients from Junes," she deadpanned back to her husband. Yosuke snorted back a laugh, oh, his dad wasn't going to like this.

Mr. Hanamura's eyes popped wide open in rage and disbelief, and he veered closer to his wife, "What do you mean! Lies and slander woman, have the Konishis paid you off?"

"You're always like this, making conspiracy theories to shift the blame from Junes!"

"Konishi beer is the best beer," Yosuke smirked. He laid back on his pillow and grinned, as his father turned his rage towards him.

"Yosuke, you traitor! At this rate, I'm going to make Teddie the new manager! And my new son!"

"You wouldn't have the guts~" mocked Yosuke, "sorry Pops, but I know you!"

He thought he saw his father flash him a smirk, before he got to his feet with a high enthusiasm, taking out Junes brochures from his pocket, "Well then! I must advertise Junes, get well soon Yosuke, and be prepared to be discharged within an hour!"

Mr. Hanamura walked out, soon chasing after a doctor, while Mrs. Hanamura smiled at her son, "Oh, by the way: a man in a cap wanted to know if you'd want to go back to Junes tomorrow. He has to show you something, so he said."

Yosuke beamed at that news. At least Junpei was willing to still hang with him. He was really starting to like the guy, and it wasn't just his chill nature. He nodded his thanks to his mother, who then shot an angered glance at outside and walked off to confront Mr. Hanamura.

Now cooped up in bed, Yosuke, with not much to do before his discharge from hospital, took out his phone, and with a small smirk, accessed Twitter and began to tweet. At least he was well enough to write coherently….

* * *

_**Twitter Update from #jiraiya (Yosuke Hanamura)**_

"_srry 4 no tweets, man i hate bein sick vaca x_x"_

_**Reply from #fsteak (Chie Satonaka)**_

"_bet u try hit on dat gurl again"_

_**Reply from #hotstud (Yukiko Amagi)**_

"_Perhaps Hanamura-kun is not sick in the love sense, but instead is sick in the… traditional sense. Hahahaha!"_

Yosuke would usually have rolled his eyes and composed a tweet, but then, a tweet came from a surprising source, one that made him go wide eyed with surprise.

_**Reply from #iorithehero (Junpei Iori)**_

"_sweet dude found ur twitter soz about fuuka-chan's food did warn ya tho lol"_

_**Reply from #jiraiya**_

"_aw sweet junpei hey how's takeba-san and the rest going"_

_**Reply from #iorithehero**_

"_doin fine but fuuka-chan said she want 2 make u food to say sorry lol"_

* * *

Yosuke's entire body seized up upon seeing that, and his hand let go of his smart phone, letting it fall onto his lap and sink into the space between his knees. His world began to fade into a swirl of colors lapsing around his surroundings, and his throat felt bile build up as the terrible taste impacted his brain once more. And as his mind lapsed back, his body began to seize up, causing the nurse to rush to him.

"Oh no…" muttered Yosuke as the hallucinations came back, this time fast forwarded like a home video.

He was discharged the next day.

* * *

**Sorry, I seem to update every month now. The story will start picking up though.**


	5. Interlude: Beneath The Mask

**Port Interlude: Beneath The Mask**

**Author Notes: It's a short chapter, but I felt it was time to get some more plot running, and introduce the major conflict. And thank you all for your opinions and reviews, folks, they all mean much to me.**

**EDIT: Updated to fix up a repetition and a paragraph.**

_In this chapter: What lies beneath the façade?_

* * *

**The night Yosuke spent in hospital….**

**Fuuka's Apartment, 23:52**

For all the strife and trauma they had all gone through during the Dark Hour, Fuuka was glad she had a Persona.

It let her protect others. Protecting others felt so good, if just to protect the beautiful thing that was life. Her experience with the S.E.E.S. and battling Nyx made her realize just how much the gift of life was not to be wasted, and upon their trials in the Abyss of Time, Fuuka decided to make the most of her life, and found out her true passion.

A passion for technology, one that would assist her to help people.

Fuuka had studied hard, and soon got a scholarship to a fine college. However, it was as an engineer. Her parents, shocked at Fuuka's declaration that she was going to take the scholarship and not study to become a doctor, had a vicious argument with her, ending when Fuuka left the house in tears.

She hadn't spoken to her parents in at least a year.

It made her angry.

Sometimes she had a gut feeling that she should call and forgive them, but then, she would remember how useless they made her feel, that she was inferior, and if she wasn't a doctor, then she was nothing.

It would take a while before either parents or child could patch up their differences.

It made her angry.

She was currently in her apartment, going over her assignments on her laptop computer, her hair untied from her braid and flowing freely down her delicate shoulder blades. Upon spotting a few errors, she quickly revised, but as she went to save, her cursor fell over 'My Pictures' and clicked.

After she did save the files, Fuuka glanced at the folders. _SEES 2009, Gekkoukan High 2010, Graduation Day 2011._

She chose to click on Graduation Day 2011.

A wide smile fell on her face from a blast of nostalgia, as she surfed through the photos, seeing familiar faces like Junpei goofing off with Kenji Tomochika, with then-Student Council President Hidetoshi Odagiri struggling to hold in his anger, and Kazushi Miyamoto (who had, believe or not, attended graduation in his tracksuit, despite Yuko Nishiwaki's best attempts to have him wear the actual uniform) trying to run around the hall, being held down by Yuko and Keisuke Hiraga.

The photos that showed her, Aigis and Yukari were her personal favorites. Yukari was at the forefront, grinning and waving at the camera, while Aigis leaned forward, a sheepish smile on her face. Fuuka herself was smiling innocently, and had slightly longer hair, pouring down to her jawline, as she had begun growing it late in 2010.

It was one of the happiest, most emotional days of her life, and she was sure it was for the rest as well.

When they went to college, with Mitsuru still trying to repent for her grandfather's sins and forming the Shadow Operatives, Fuuka and Yukari had gotten even closer. Fuuka would be glad to consider the brunette her best friend. She knew Yukari was very emotional, maybe a bit too much, and she had issues with her temper at times, but to Fuuka, she was a good person underneath.

Yukari's recent attitude had been bothering Fuuka. So had Yukari been faking all of this? She could remember how happy she was back in 2010 after the Abyss of Time. After she had learnt what happened to Minato (that name also brought a pang of pain to Fuuka, though she understood why he wasn't with them anymore), she went back to being the same old Yukari, but grown from her experiences.

The two had spent the last year of their school days having the time of their lives alongside Aigis and Junpei, for instance she could still remember how Yukari used to lighten the mood during particularly strenuous times at cram school, and how it made her feel better.

But there always was this envious feeling Fuuka got whenever Yukari or Aigis attracted boys. The two had soon formed fan clubs of their own once they became third years, with the boys showing a lot of desire towards the senpai, and Fuuka felt she was seen as the 'plain one' alongside the two.

Sure she'd been called 'cute' and 'beautiful', but nobody really seemed to show an interest in her. And even then, no matter how many guys Yukari, Aigis (who was a _robot_), Mitsuru and others rejected, nobody ever came over to Fuuka.

It was always about Yukari or Mitsuru. Never her.

It made her angry.

Realizing she was steaming in her growing emotion, Fuuka looked over at the clock, and sighed. 23:55. She had stayed up far too late, time to go to bed. Now in a bad mood, Fuuka gently retreated to her bedroom, and fell asleep soon after her head touched the pillow.

As she went into slumber, Fuuka didn't even hear the pop, then the yellow static appear on her TV, which had been switched off hours ago. The image is showed was a hazy figure in front of a cauldron, creating a smoky, fuming liquid inside the melting pot. The figure looked up, and grinned with a twist of its lips. It spoke in a voice eerily similar to Fuuka's, a distorted squeal.

"_**All those girls are so pretty, so desirable… so much more than ugly ol' me… why am I ignored..."**_

* * *

**Yukari's Apartment, 23:50**

She couldn't sleep.

She stared at the bathroom mirror, her brown eyes tracing the outlines and features of her face, and deviating down her slender figure, as she brushed her teeth for what was probably the third time tonight. She had to keep her teeth totally white, to give that model smile everyone adored.

Soon enough, Yukari finished, and she washed out her mouth. She then looked up at the mirror and gave a false grin at her reflection, admiring her white teeth. Luckily she had good teeth, so it wasn't a problem. That alongside her smooth skin made it easier to keep her looks strong.

She soon exited the bathroom, washing her face with a towel, and was unable to surpass a yawn. Yukari stretched her arms out, and let it out, then let her arms fall to her sides and let her whole body relax. She made sure everything was turned off, as to avoid seeing that _nightmare_ from two nights ago, and went into her bedroom.

It was a bed big enough for two. She usually could suppress those thoughts most of the time, but deep down, there was always that hollowing feeling in her chest that this apartment was made for her… and him. In fact, it only made her think back to high school, when she used to talk about their future plans.

"_When we graduate next year, we're going to go to college together, and live together…."_

His words from New Year's Eve echoed in her ears, and her stomach felt as if it did a lurch. They used to hold hands, smile at each other, and feel each other's warmth, especially in the cold Christmas nights. It was absolutely wonderful.

But he was gone now. She had to try and accept that.

She usually didn't think about him, but Junpei bringing him up had only helped a resurgence of memories. Yukari could still remember his silky dark blue hair trailing past her fingertips, the soft curvatures of his face against her lips, and his gentle, sweet and compassionate personality. She loved him, and he loved her.

But he was gone now. She had to try and accept that.

They always said that the first love was just a teenage crush. But to Yukari, it was something more. Maybe it would have been different had they grown older, but to her, it was a true, genuine relationship. She still remembered the adorable, shy kid that she fell in love with, and not anybody else.

After his death, and after she found out, Yukari closed off her heart, having felt like such a fool. She almost caused Nyx's return, all because she thought that was what love was about. To do anything to be with your precious one, even tear the fabric of the universe to shreds. Then, she realized what an idiot she was.

So she tried to abstain from relationships. She did date a few guys, but it was often just little trips to a restaurant or a movie, and nothing special. And the guys for the most part seemed to be interested in her looks, not caring to reach out and understand Yukari Takeba as a person.

Only he did that.

But he was gone now. She had to try and accept that.

Feeling worse then she did before, Yukari fell into bed, feeling very isolated now, like she were the only one left in the world. It would be better in the morning, but now, she just ached….

All the while, as she fell asleep, the static once again appeared on her TV. This time, the image was clearer. It was a teenage girl sat down on the couch, cradling a blue-haired doll on her lap as if it were a human being, looking rather glum. Then, she looked at where the camera would be, and grinned a foul, toothy smile, her entire face stretching with it.

"_**Lonely, insecure little me, trapped in my own grief~ only Minato-sama can save me and make me whole~"**_

* * *

**Junpei's Apartment, 23:45**

"Goddamnit!" Junpei moaned to himself, sweet brew continuing to pour down his throat after each word.

Contrary to his father, the first drink down Junpei's gullet once he'd gotten back home wasn't beer, but a glass of water. However, that afternoon as he watched the baseball on TV, secretly envying those players living the dream (what made them so good, he'd had more training in Tartarus then they ever did), he had gotten a call from his boss.

"After some discussion, we have decided. We no longer need your services, Iori."

To hell with them, thought Junpei. He still had his Shadow Operatives money. So he did what came naturally to him when he was in a bad mood. Despite Koromaru's whimpers of protest, Junpei took some cold ones out of the fridge, cracked them open, and begun to guzzle them all down. He was currently at his third bottle, greatly enjoying it.

He wasn't his father though. He knew when to stop.

"Who cares about those… damn… cons… construction workers anyway?" muttered Junpei to himself, struggling to think of what to say, "I mean, I can just work at some other place, like, I dunno… that Junes store… doesn't that Hanamura kid have connections there?"

He then slammed his bottle down on the ground, and moaned tiredly. The idea of using a new friend for the sake of a job didn't sit well with Junpei, and really, it felt like a blow to his pride that he'd had to rely on others to get by. If it weren't for Mitsuru offering him a role in the Shadow Operatives, he'd have gotten nowhere. He'd probably have nothing.

Feeling even worse thinking about that, Junpei took another swig of his drink, a peaceful feeling radiating in his insides with each drop of beautiful beer pouring down his throat. It made him feel so much better now.

He wasn't his father though. He knew when to stop.

He took another swig again, and felt nothing on his tongue. Junpei took the bottle from his lips and scowled, "Ah, nothin' left. Better go grab another…."

As Junpei stumbled back to the fridge and took out another beer, this time a stronger, more dry beer, he almost lost his balance and fell on Koromaru, but stabilized his feet. The dog whined, and even crawled up to him, gently nuzzling at Junpei's leg, whining. Junpei was still sober enough to realize that Koromaru was getting more and more upset at his drinking, and he looked at his drink, feeling an anger boil inside him.

Junpei still kept telling himself that he wasn't his father. He knew when to stop.

But yet, the drink was just so addicting. Trying his best to calm Koromaru (and himself) down, he looked down at his dog, and gently stroked his head, feeling the soft white fur underneath his palm, "Don't worry Koro. This'll be my… my last one…" mumbled Junpei, briefly slurring over his words.

Koromaru's brows sharpened for a second, but softened. Another whine came out, and the dog rubbed against his hand. Junpei couldn't stop the temptation, but somewhere, he knew that this wasn't right. He needed to stop, but….

He would keep telling himself this. He would never be his father.

Junpei fell back down onto the floor, leaning against the seat of his couch, tipping the bottle and letting the brew pour down his throat. His vision began to get hazier as the contents disappeared down into his stomach, and Junpei could feel himself starting to get sleepy, but at the same time, he was feeling angry.

Why was this stuff so addicting. Why did he feel a surge of joy inside him whenever he took that gulp of the bottle. Was this what his dad had felt? No, his dad was in his 30's. Junpei was only 20… he still had time. He still had a little bit more time left before it was over.

Junpei's eyes began to grow heavier and heavier, and soon, they began to close, as the intoxication began to set in.

He still wasn't his father, though. He knew when to stop.

And that was now….

The bottle slipped from Junpei's fingers, and his consciousness slipped from him as he drifted deep into slumber. The bottle rolled over to Koromaru's Korner, and the Shiba Inu whined, looking rather upset at the state of his friend. Junpei broke into a snore, and his dreams were of nothing but hot girls. The only sound came from the whine of his TV, and the man's snoring.

The clock struck midnight, and the TV flickered off. Koromaru noticeably peaked in interest, and watched the TV go blank… then go into yellow static. The distorted static screeched through the dark apartment, and Koromaru began to growl at the TV. The dog began to climb out of his sleeping basket, and stared holes at the TV….

Then it filtered into the shape of a man, beating down a training dummy Shadow with a bat, swinging it down onto the bag like it was a defenseless doll, with no remorse whatsoever. It then stopped, and took a beer out, guzzling it down and burping.

When it turned its head, Koromaru looked as if he went pale, and he whined loudly. It was Junpei, but this Junpei's eyes were glowing topaz yellow, and a wide, cocksure smirk was spread across his face.

"_**Man… I'm such a loser… such a worthless cancer to everyone around me… can't be worth anything…."**_

All the way, Junpei continued to snore, as Koromaru stared in horror. The image went back to static, and then switched off.

* * *

**So, looks like things aren't just a merry old vacation after all….**


	6. Ms Junes

**Port 5: Ms. Junes**

**Author's Note: Thank you goes to everyone who reviewed, fav'd, subscribed.**

_In this chapter: Junpei appears in the oddest of places, Mr. Hanamura is a cheapskate, Yukari ends up delivering fanservice, and a special guest makes her debut~_

* * *

**The next morning**

**_July 10th, 2013_  
**

When Yosuke woke up the next morning and was discharged from the hospital, the moment he strolled into the TV room and saw his dad with the biggest smile on his face, was when he should have known things were going to go to hell again.

"Yosuke! I'm able to work at Port Island's Junes again!" Mr. Hanamura had said, rather excited with a wide grin on his face.

Yosuke's mouth dropped into a horrified, wide mouthed, stare. He shook his head, realizing what this usually meant for him, what with his dad's work. The more hours his dad had at Junes, the more times he'd have to work during vacation again.

Then again, at least it wasn't like that one time back home in Inaba, where Mr. Hanamura tried to work at Junes for over 24 hours at once. He made it to about 32 hours before he collapsed. The Junes higher-ups, more disturbed than impressed by his dedication, made him take a full week off, mostly out of fear of legal action then Mr. Hanamura's actual health.

Worst week in the Hanamura household ever was an understatement.

"Um, Pops, does this mean I'm gonna have to… work again?" a worried Yosuke asked his father. And to his surprise, Mr. Hanamura shook his head. Yosuke grinned, "So, I'm free?"

The older man then scoffed, "Of course not! You'll be doing helping the new guy perform maintenance checks, for you are a loyal son of Junes!"

Yosuke's ensuing groan could be heard far and wide through the hotel.

* * *

**Junes**

When Yosuke had arrived in Junes with his father, Mr. Hanamura pointed beside the doors, and frowned at him.

"Yosuke! Wait for me and the new trainee we have just hired!" he told Yosuke, then he turned and went into the complex. As boredom set in, Yosuke had put his headphones on, snapping his fingers and rocking his head to the beat of the music, enjoying the sounds of Gwen Stefani pumping into his ears.

That melodic rhythm broke when he saw the automatic door open, and a familiar lanky shape walk out with his dad, with that grin set upon the man's cheerful face.

"Heyyy Hanamura!" cried out a familiar voice. Yosuke removed his headphones to adjust, and to his pleasant surprise, saw Junpei walking behind Mr. Hanamura. That wasn't the surprise. What was the surprise was seeing a Junes apron on Junpei, who couldn't keep the grin off his face.

"Guess who got a job? I put my application this morning, then they called up and asked if I could work!" Junpei was visibly excited, and adjusted the apron's collar, "Too bad you don't live in Port Island man, then we'd be partners, but hey, still pretty sweet to have a job around these parts."

"Dude, that's awesome!" Yosuke then looked confused at Junpei, "Wait… didn't you say you worked double shifts at some other job?"

That was when Junpei's smile faded, and he scratched the back of his skull, his body language visibly fading to be more sluggish. He leaned in to whisper into Yosuke's ear, "Yeah… about that… don't tell anyone else, but I got laid off from my construction job last night… it's why I was so glad to get the job here."

The brown haired boy shot the capped joker a sympathetic look, "Well, that sucks. Glad you got the job here, it kinda sucks, but the pay's alright for what it is."

Yosuke never had to fear the prospect of losing his part-time job, as he was the manager's son, but for the likes of everyone else… yeah, they were justified in their fears. He never thought much about the businesses his dad put out in Inaba, although while the shopping district still had a few landmarks, like the Konishi liquor store, he didn't care much.

But seeing the look on Junpei's face surprised him.

The three moved inside Junes, and Mr. Hanamura quickly pointed at an aisle for Junpei to work at: the beauty section. Junpei scowled, but once he saw the women there, that frown turned upside down, a sentiment Yosuke reflected as well.

"For once this section isn't filled with housewives!" the brown haired boy had grinned.

"Aw dude, I'm so glad I'm not in Inaba, Port Island chicks are top quality babes!" the cap clad man also grinned, adjusting the helm of his cap with his hand, "Seriously. I dunno where you can find any better."

Yosuke's reply was a simple shrug, and he looked over to Junpei with a wide grin, "Dude, you wouldn't say that if you met _some_ Inaba girls. The others though, man, you wish you could forget it!"

"I dunno if there's any girls on par with Ai-chan, Yuka-tan, Mitsuru-senpai and Fuuka-chan, though! I-"

"Hullo Junpei," rang the voice that Yosuke immediately identified as Yukari Takeba. Hearing her voice again made him feel a tinge of happiness inside, and he turned around to smile at the brunette, who had a basket of beauty products in hand.

She greeted Yosuke with a small nod, which actually made him feel a little happy, to be acknowledged by her.

"And speakin' of the devil! S'up, Yuka-tan!" cried Junpei, who gave that shark-like grin to Yukari, "So you've gone to Junes for the third time in a row, huh?"

She rolled her eyes with that familiar sneer, "Tch. I ran out of hair product, and I need new nail polish. Beauty stores charge you dime-a-dozen for their labeled stuff, I just needed something cheap today. Though maybe I'll get a French, or keep my nails natural for a bit…" she half-muttered while looking at her light pink fingernails.

Glancing briefly at her light pink toenails visible through her sandals, Yosuke decided to put his opinion forth, of course hoping she'd like it, "I think natural nails would look cute on you, Takeba-san," he grinned. Of course, he really did think girls could look cute with natural nail color. And Yukari was very cute.

Yukari immediately bit her lower lip in, trying not to laugh, "Pffft huh? What was thaaaat?"

"I'm being serious, ya know!" Yosuke snapped back, feeling genuinely hurt by Yukari's remark. It was like a gutting hit to the chest, to his confusion, and he glared at her.

And ever the icebreaker, Junpei stepped in with a nervous grin, and waved an arm over the two, "I know you guys are kinda busy with the whole romantic tension game, but-"

Yosuke painfully clenched his teeth at the following haughty snort from Yukari, "Tension? Romantic? Psh, yeah right!" she tilted her head up, and the boy eyed her tight choker around her neck.

He genuinely wanted to get out of the conversation now, feeling very uncomfortable with Yukari's constant attitude with him. His saving grace would come sooner than later though.

"Yosuke! Iori! What are you two doing with that young woman!"

Yosuke thought his entire world was spinning around him, and he swore his face was losing all its color when he saw his father appear from out of nowhere in the crowd, his eyes locked onto Yukari. And he looked hungry, like a scheme was forming in his mind that'd take advantage of the young woman.

Yosuke looked left-and-right urgently, "Hey, Takeba-san! You better get outta here!"

Yukari turned her head over and cocked an eyebrow, "Um, what'd ya mean by that?"

Yosuke nodded frantically, oh damn, his dad was getting closer, and he was breaking through the masses of people, "Dude! There's someone after you! You better get out while you still can!"

Unfortunately, all he got was a harsh scoff from Yukari, which annoyed him. Seriously, she was so damn stubborn it was obnoxious, "Oh, yeah right, like some guy is gonna come out and offer me the role of a lifetime."

"… You'd totally pull it off, Takeba-san."

"Get bent, perv," snapped Yukari.

Before Yosuke could warn her further, Mr. Hanamura popped up right behind Yukari's back, and leaned down to the brunette's shoulder level, an intense look in his eyes. "You, girl! So far, the only applicants for Ms. Junes do not fit the criteria!" Junpei then shuddered, "You are ideal for Ms. Junes!"

Yukari jumped from the sudden shout, and she turned around angrily to see Mr. Hanamura, "Ms. Junes… ideal… what the hell are you saying, you creepy old man?"

"Old man? I'll have you know that I am 46!" Mr. Hanamura snapped back, "And I still look as young as ever thanks to Junes!"

"Dad, you actually do look 46," snorted a deadpan Yosuke.

"Nonsense! Besides, you still look 16!" Mr. Hanamura shot back, "But enough about arguing with my son!" turning his attention back to Yukari, he grinned widely, but spoke in a much more professional tone.

"I'm sure you've seen the posters and adverts around. We're looking for an attractive young woman to sell Junes products on commercials, and we at Junes feel you'd be ideal for our purposes. We're holding the photo shoots right now, and while we have a queue, I'll let you go first if you wish."

Oh god, was he serious? Yosuke turned his back to his dad, both embarrassed from his dad, and actually really enthusiastic as the gears clicked in his head. Did Ms. Junes mean he could see Yukari in a bikini? If so, hell yeah!

Yukari raised a curious eyebrow, and then looked down at the floor, then back to Mr. Hanamura, "So, what's in it for me?"

Mr. Hanamura's expression lifted, and he smiled wryly, "Well, you'd help personify the Junes spirit, and-"

She groaned, "I'm talking about, you know, a contract? An official guarantee that you won't screw me over?"

"We at Junes do not need contracts!"

Yosuke grimaced, "Actually Dad, it's kinda needed to sign contracts, 'cause…."

Even Junpei looked wide-eyed, and he tucked his lips in nervously, "Yeah, I totally remember being told to sign a contract this morning. A waiver about work and safety, ya know?"

The only thing Mr. Hanamura did was shoot a glare over at the two, then he wordlessly waved a finger over to Yukari. She followed him, and Yosuke watched her disappear down the corner, his eyes gently easing down to her bottom, the imprints visible in her jeans.

"So, er," the uncouth voice of Junpei interrupted Yosuke admiring Yukari's butt, "ever heard of Ms. Junes?"

Yosuke scratched his brown hair, and quickly remembered a time when his father tried to convince Rise to model for Inaba's Junes. He vaguely remembered the name, 'Ms. Junes' being thrown around, and the plan was to use her to appeal to the more grown up crowd. However, Rise refused to take part (she said it was her hiatus, but Yosuke felt she knew otherwise), and the idea fell through.

"I think so."

"Yeah, it's like, getting some hot chick to model for Junes. Your dad said something about a second mascot, I mean, they've got that Teddie guy for the kids. I totally get what they're trying to do, and hell, if they get Yuka-tan, then they're gonna hit the jackpot!"

Model. Yosuke thought back, and remembered when he met Yukari yesterday, she was busy yelling over the phone at someone. He then remembered, didn't he once see her face in a fashion magazine?

Yosuke stared wide-eyed at Junpei, "So Takeba-san's a model?"

The older man couldn't help a grin spread, "Sure is, bro! No wonder, 'cause she's hot! I totally think she's gonna be Ms. Junes!"

"Awesome!" The idea that he'd get to hang around Yukari more, and maybe see her in more revealing clothing, was enough to bring a grin to Yosuke's face. But, he swore he felt his cheeks burn with faint pink, especially when he pictured her smiling face and body in a bikini. Such a hot image, but why did he blush like that?

Then, Susano-o came calling with a chirp. He could just picture the flame-haired figure in his head, but he felt himself, like in the nightclub, being drawn over to a beacon. Yosuke tried to resist the call at first, but he heard the unknown hollers too, and decided to follow along. He first looked over to Junpei, and saw he was busy taking some complains, with that chill look on his face.

He'd just sneak off. Drawn to the signal, the boy walked through several aisles, and soon reached a black door in an empty aisle. Nobody was around in this aisle, as it was located near the rest rooms. Yosuke had no idea what room it actually was. All he knew that it was one of those private rooms, it did have a 'STAFF ONLY' board on the front of the door.

But Susano-o was adamant that Yosuke go in, and truth be told, Yosuke _was_ technically Junes staff, even if he wasn't working today.

'_Wait, I shouldn't be doing this-'_

Without really thinking, he opened the door, and what greeted him was a sight unlike no other.

* * *

**Dressing Room with Yukari**

"Takeba! The shoot is starting in five!"

Yukari, dressed in a bathing robe and slippers, looked over to the cameraman and gave a sharp nod, "I'll be ready!"

She wondered why she was even doing this. While the setup was professional and all, it just felt odd. Yosuke's creepy dad was offering good money, though, and she desperately needed it, but her disdain for the Hanamura clan had gone up a notch.

At least Yosuke did try to warn her. Maybe there was something more to him then just being a pervert… no, he was just a pervert.

Yukari walked over to the mirror and undid the bathing robe to reveal her body clad in a black and orange bikini, with Junes printed on her bottom and on the front of the bikini. Yukari adjusted a strap over her shoulder, making sure that the Junes print was clearly visible, and after adjusting the bikini bottom around her hips, Yukari took a long look in the mirror.

The girl tilted her hips to the left slightly and put her hands on her head, pouting her lips seductively. It was a pose among other she had done often since last year, ever since she was offered the opportunity of a lifetime. While doing journalism in college, aiming to work in the fashion industry as a columnist, a talent scout had spotted her and offered to give her a chance to break through as a model.

She took the offer, and never looked back. College had been supported by her modeling career and money she found from _other sources_, but jobs had been rather scarce, and Yukari knew that time was a fleeting thing. Her looks would sadly fade away with age, so she had to score a big role and soon, given she was already 20. And perhaps this would be her breakout role?

A whisper then echoed in her head, and it brought a strange feeling, that someone was coming. Isis was always looking out for her, but the Persona kept on whispering, as if it were trying to talk to someone else. Yukari shook her head and decided to ignore Isis, perhaps it was just like the last few times she had heard from the motherly Persona.

Nothing was going to happen. She had three years of peace, and no sudden Isis freakouts were going to ruin that.

"The shoot is starting now!" the director shouted. Snapping out of her funk and taking a deep breath, Yukari opened the door, and walked into the set. It was a simple white backdrop, with the room being a pure black. She usually didn't do bikini shots, but to be fair, it wasn't exactly a very revealing bikini, it looked more like a race queen's outfit, only a two-piece.

She preferred to wear fashion, but this was a job. She had to do it, besides, she didn't really mind showing off her attractive body. It was just when perverts like Junpei couldn't keep their eyes off her.

So, she peeled her feet off her slippers, stepped onto the stage, the director nodding in approval, "Alright, strike a pose, Takeba!"

Arcing her back, she crossed one slender leg over the other, and heard the camera snap. Then, she crossed her arms over her chest, and stretched out again, another camera snap. She then put the other leg forward, removing her heel off the floor and tilted her head up with closed eyes.

Isis quickly hushed out to the brunette, as if she were trying to warn her host about sensing something, but Yukari ignored that feeling, and steadied her pose.

However, instead of the snap of a camera, she heard a door slam. Jarred, Yukari opened her eyes, and she suddenly felt an emotion lever in her head be pulled when she saw who it was.

* * *

There she was, in all her bikini glory.

Yosuke usually admired girls in bikinis… and less. But the way the young woman's body flexed and curved, one long leg crossed over the other, chest pushed out, exposing her slender navel, and those pursed glossy lips, well, that and her flowing auburn hair captured him.

She looked absolutely beautiful. His eyes scanned her entire body, trailing down those long, smooth legs, up to her midriff, then to her bikini, then up to her naked neck, then to that gorgeous face. His eyes widened further, his jaw dropped, but he just couldn't stop staring. He tried to step back, but he couldn't stop the staring.

Her stance went from that of a professional model to standing rigid in rage, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!" she roared, "Get lost!"

Yosuke didn't even budge. Instead, he kept on staring, and in his chest, he swore he had this funny feeling. It was as if his heart could not stop thumping against his rib cage, and would not stop either. He put a hand to his left rib, and let his jaw fall, parting his lips.

"Well!? Urgh, you're just gonna keep staring!?"

"T-Takeba, calm down..." muttered the photography director.

He couldn't keep his eyes off Yukari, it made him feel warm, relaxed to stare at her like this, even if he knew he should try and get out, even if just to avoid trouble. And Susano-o was buzzing, as if he were satisfied to be connected with the other force again, sending even more pleasant vibes through Yosuke's body. He was attracted to her, for sure, and Yosuke swore he felt his cheeks flush.

'_Oh god, what's happening, why can't I stop staring?'_

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, then he was pulled back knocking him out of his semi-trance. Yosuke looked over his shoulder and frowned to see Junpei, who was nodding apologetically to Yukari and the director.

"Hey Yuka-tan~ lookin' hot as ever~ I'll just get Hanamura settled down, eh?"

"You do that, Stupei."

The next thing Yosuke knew, he was pulled out the photography room, and he found himself falling against a wall as his feet gave under him. Junpei relaxed on the other side of the door, and gave him a wry smile.

"Yo dude, I totally dig your spirit, but ya know, you can't just run in like that! You need to be like a ninja! Be like, Sarutobi Sasuke or somethin'!"

Yosuke sighed, and rolled back against the door, his hand palming his face… which felt oddly heated up. He quickly peeled his hand away and stared at his palm, his mind reeling at a million miles per hour, his lips pulled into a small frown. "Man, Junpei-san, thanks for the save there."

"No problem bro! But hey, it's worth it just to see the look on your face. Man, you were totally blown away!" Junpei's face split into a wide grin at that point, "So, you really like Yuka-tan, huh?"

Yosuke felt his heart seize up and his back straighten out, "N-no," he bleated. He mentally kicked himself for sounding awkward, it wasn't like he liked her in _that_ way, no. The boy then tried to give his usual cocksure grin, and he winked at Junpei, "haha, hell no man! I mean, I think she's totally hot, but I don't have a crush on her, no way dude."

Junpei couldn't help but guffaw a laugh. "Sure dude, sure you don't. Dude, your face is totally red!"

When Yosuke put his hand on his face again, he felt the heat stick to his palm, and he tried to hide his face away from Junpei, "Aw, come on dude! Stop it!"

The door suddenly slammed open, and out came Yukari dressed back in her jeans, tanktop and sandals. She stomped into the hallway, then turned to stare at Yosuke, with a stare that contained sheer death inside them. "What the HELL was your idea, Hanamura?! I actually thought you were better than that…" she then closed her eyes and sighed tiredly, "guess I was wrong."

He actually felt hurt by that. After he stemmed the blush, Yosuke's eyes widened, a deep frown on his face, his brown eyes barely able to look at Yukari's, "Er, Takeba-san, but-"

"No buts!" she snapped back at him, "You went in and saw me like… that!"

Yosuke's cheeks suddenly went into a pink blaze, and what cheeky reply he was about to come out with wouldn't come out from his throat. Luckily for him, he saw his father approach him, so he smiled at Yukari. "Sorry to cut it short, Takeba-san, but I gotta go."

"Yosuke! Come with me to the storage room, I need your help!" yelled Mr. Hanamura. Yosuke groaned, but he did need something to take his mind off Yukari, and so he followed along, trying to ignore Yukari's hostile glare as much as he could.

"Coming, Pops!"

* * *

Junpei stood there and watched Hanamura follow his father into the storage room. Since it was his lunch break now, he walked over to the outside area, gesturing for Yukari to follow him. He looked over to Yukari, who was throwing a hand through her light brown hair, and tilted his cap to scratch his forehead in response. He saw the frustration beneath those brown eyes, the pink lips tugged into a frown, and the slight creases of her eyebrows.

The two sat down on a bench. He put his hand up and gestured for her attention, and when she turned, he gave a lopsided smirk, "Man, Yuka-tan, you feeling okay?"

Yukari's subtle frown eased into a neutral expression, "Yeah." Then she scowled, "Man, that Hanamura is such a creep! His dad especially! Like father, like son, psh!"

Junpei shrugged, "Eh, they're pretty good guys."

"Hanamura himself is just like you, tch."

Again with that snarky mouth of hers, but that was something he liked, "Aw man, Yuka-tan! That's rough! Are you implying I'm as bad as Hanamura," but then, a wide grin fell across his face, "or he's as good as me?"

An annoyed frown crossed Yukari's lips for what seemed to be the hundredth time, "The former, obviously. You two are just like peas in a pod."

"Pfft." Junpei rolled his eyes mockingly, but his expression melded down into a small frown, "But you know Yuka-tan, I was wonderin'... ever thought that maybe Hanamura likes you?"

Her eyes shot wide open, looking at the cap-clad man with surprise, "Huh?"

"Come on, it's so obvious! He's always perked up when you came along!" Junpei's lips twirled into that familiar grin, "Someone's gotta crush on yoooou~"

She jutted her lip to the left, and looked to that direction with a vague sneer, "Duh…" however, the brunette's expression faded into a timid frown, and she lowered her eyes from him, "…Junpei, I'm not looking at dating right now..."

Junpei frowned deeply, knew far too well what was going on, "Dude, it's not... you know... Minato, right? It still hurts, I know, but..."

She shook her head lightly, but Junpei wasn't convinced from the sudden sadness glazed in her eyes. Yukari had a way of hiding her true feelings from even her close friends, "I... I just worry... ya know?" the young woman muttered, "I dunno if I'm up for it again. A serious relationship if ya get what I mean," suddenly, a small flash of rage crossed her pretty features, "and there's no way I'd ever date Hanamura! He's a perv! So don't even think of it!"

Junpei quickly grinned, loving the way Yukari reacted to his teasing. At least she still had her mood swings, "Well, we could always hook up again! I liked senior year, because I got to brag about dating a babe like you~"

To his amusement, she closed her eyes and sneered in embarrassment, "Ugh, typical Stupei. I can't believe we actually dated."

When she said that though, Junpei felt a warm buzz in his stomach from the memories, and he let a genuine smile spread on his face, "It was fun though, wasn't it? I mean, we're better off as friends, but I really enjoyed our time together," he gently turned his head over, and looked her in the eyes, still smiling, "Yukari, you know that I'll always love you. You'll always be my friend. And ain't nothin' gonna change that."

She stared blankly, and she was silent at first. But then, a ruthful smile crossed Yukari's lips, one that turned warm, "…Stupei... you know I had a good time with you too. I'm glad we spent senior year together."

* * *

After helping his father deal with some storage, Yosuke had decided to retreat to the restroom. He began to wash his face in the empty room, glad that nobody was able to see him right now. Unfortunately for him, his mind began to drift back to a certain girl; he could still see the image of Yukari in the Junes bikini, posing like a pro. God, that was so hot.

_She_ was so hot.

His cheeks suddenly heated up. Yosuke clutched at where his heart laid below. He could feel it pumping, faster and faster, and a feeling like butterflies invaded his stomach, making him feel woozier. He couldn't stand on his feet, his legs starting to wobble, causing him to grip onto the sink. And what made it worse, was when he thought of Yukari, his chest seemed to seize up.

It wasn't just her pretty face, or her hot body, it was… her personality, too. The moodiness and swings he wasn't a big fan of, but there was her spunky attitude.

When his mind replayed the moment where he saw her smiling and playing with Koromaru, Yosuke closed his eyes with lips peeled into a frown, but there was also joy in his heart. His frown turned into a smile, but, when he put his hand onto his cheeks, he was surprised to feel abnormal warmth coming from them.

"Wait a minute…" he paused, his heart had by then stopped thumping, and his temperature had started to come down to normal. His legs had felt like they were back to normal, but he still didn't want to let go. Yosuke let his thoughts drift back to Yukari, and thought about her face, her smile….

His head began to feel hotter. His cheeks began to singe with crimson, and he groaned loudly, getting up to his feet and stumbling to the bathroom. He had initially considered her just a city girl to hit on, and maybe pick up. Nothing but just a cheap and arrogant way to pick up bragging points with the crew back home, but there was something about her that he just couldn't stop thinking about.

Her looks were what first drew him to her, but now, he genuinely liked her for her personality and her feelings.

And not even as a friend. He wanted to get to know Yukari more, and grow closer with her. He wanted her to see him for who he could be, and not as just some perverted kid. He was getting there, but he still needed to keep pushing. He always wanted to see her, and he was happy to see her face around.

"Am I… crushing on Takeba?"

At that thought, he felt his entire face heat up. Yosuke leaned over the sink, and soon saw his face in the mirror. It was red, completely red, highlighted by the white around him, and he screwed his eyes shut.

"Shit! It's just like Saki-senpai!" he yelled, glad that nobody couldn't hear him, "Why is it always the older chicks?"

He put his hands onto the sink, and looked at his reddening face, unable to keep the frown off his face, his eyes trying to pull themselves away from the reflection greeting him, but unable to. All he saw were cheeks starched with crimson, _his_ face.

Saki… that word brought a gentle stab to the heart. He had loved her, and had failed to protect her. It was just an infatuation, but he did feel something genuine towards her, and while Yu had helped him out on getting over her, being unable to save Saki from being murdered was something he would regret for the rest of his life.

But she hated him for being part of Junes. He could understand why: the Konishis were doing big business before Junes came along, and she had to get a job there. But when he was feeling lonely, she was there, always willing to say something to encourage him and make him feel less lonesome in Inaba. Plus, he thought she was rather cute.

Then she was gone. And it turned out that all along, she hated him. She was dead, and he could never ask her why she hated him, and why she chose to act friendly to him. It was because he was the boss's son though, most likely.

But he knew that deep down, she was a good person.

Yukari, on the other hand, had no need to act friendly to him. She probably already did hate him, and just made her feelings clear to him. Yosuke felt a jab in the heart, and squeezed his eyes shut, thinking of how Yukari had been haughty and talked down to him.

"Maybe she already hates me… it'll be like Saki-senpai, but it'll go down even faster. Damn it… I can't be… not again!"

Unable to stand it no longer, he let his head lower down, hiding his face from the mirror, letting his brown locks hide whatever was visible of his face.

Yosuke's voice lowered to a tiny whisper, as the realization dawned on him. His heart beat against his own rib cage, and his hands tightened around the edges of the white sink, as he spoke again.

"… I'm in love all over again."

* * *

After washing his face and trying to stem his blush, Yosuke decided he'd go see Junpei one last time, "Yo, Junpei-san…."

When he saw Yukari sitting on the bench, he immediately felt his cheeks go red, and he quickly turned around, making sure to hide under a CD shelf. Why was he crushing so hard over Yukari, already? He felt Susano-o cry out, telling him he wanted to go out and greet Yukari, but Yosuke wasn't going to let his Persona influence him now.

"Hanamura?" he heard Junpei's voice behind the stack, "Bro, what's up?"

Yosuke almost panicked, but he took a deep breath and kept his composure. His breath felt hitched in his throat, and he wondered how Junpei would react if he

Susano-o was telling him something else. _'Go see her.'_ _'Do not be afraid.'_ _'Do not regret.'_ But Yosuke stood to his feet and tried to regain some semblance with a deep, easy breath, letting his cheeks ease up on color before he turned around to face Junpei, who held a tag stamp in his hand.

"Heh! You gonna see Yuka-tan or somethin'?"

Yosuke shook his head, he wouldn't tell anyone, but he was too flustered to speak to Yukari, "I'm gonna go now actually. It was cool seeing you man, hope we can hang out some time."

Junpei, who had begun slapping price tags on some goods, grinned and gave the thumbs up, "No worries dude! I'll seeya later!"

Yosuke waved over to Junpei, and took his leave, leaving the man to go do his work… or he would have, had he not heard the sounds of tumbling, followed by the pained scream of a kid.

The brown-haired boy veered his head around to see a young child of around 5 with short black hair, clutching his lower leg, crying out in pain. His father, a black-haired man who looked to be in his mid 30's, looked around with panic in his eyes, "Someone! Help!"

Yosuke's protective instincts immediately kicked in, luckily he had been taught first-aid, and he knew how to bandage the cut. But the father was freaking out, not that Yosuke could blame him, to be honest. Yosuke quickly moved over to the kid and knelt down to him. He looked at the injury, damn, it would be trouble to patch up. It wouldn't need stitches, but still.

"Junpei! Go get help!" cried Yosuke.

"Sure thing bro!" Junpei said, dashing off to find assistance, while Yukari watched, appearing rather upset in fact. Yosuke looked around, waiting for the first-aid to come, while other Junes workers tried to comfort the father. Soon enough, a young employee had handed Yosuke the first-aid kit, and Yosuke opened it up, taking up the bandages meant to seal up the cut.

The kid immediately gasped, and tears began to roll down his cheeks. A sad look crossed Yosuke's eyes, but he grinned in hopes of soothing the child, "Hey little man. Don't worry, I'm gonna patch ya up!"

But as he tried to stabilize the kid's injured leg, the kid screamed out in agony, loud enough to cause Yosuke to wince. "Dude, please, calm down, it's gonna hurt for a bit, okay?" The kid only kept crying out in pain, and Yosuke bit his lip, "Aw, jeez…."

"Aren't you the son of that crazy guy? Do something!" a random customer yelled. Yosuke grunted and glanced back past his shoulder.

"I'm trying my best!" he yelled. He looked over at the kid again, trying to keep the mood up by smiling nervously, but he then saw Yukari walk forward, up to him. What was she planning? Hopefully she wouldn't do anything like make fun of him….

To his surprise, Yukari gently knelt down, and her hand touched the child's face with a delicacy he had never seen from her smooth hands before. Her fingers stroked the boy's cheek, and her thumb swept past a trailing tear. He sniffed, and when Yosuke looked at her face, he almost gasped.

She had a genuine smile on her face. Her hand gently trailed down the boy's cheek, and he whimpered, "S-S-S…."

"Shhh… it'll be okay. Just let him over there patch up your leg, okay? Don't cry… shhh…" she said softly, "your daddy doesn't want to see you cry, he wants to see you be a big boy, okay?"

Yosuke would have been distracted, but he had a more important task, and soon placed the bandage on. The kid almost yelled, but Yukari just put a finger to his lips, then resumed stroking his cheek. Yosuke soon got the bandages to hold the wound closed, as he proceeded to wrap it around with plaster and apply pressure.

The kid squealed out in pain, but then Yukari got even softer than before.

"Please don't cry. It'll be okay, I promise. Everything's gonna be alright… shhhh…" her hand stroked his cheek again, and he looked up to her, his entire expression much mellow and at ease when he gazed at Yukari.

Finally, he got the plaster bound around the leg, and Yosuke firmly attached it, "Haha! Got it!"

The child then beamed, and without warning, hugged Yukari's neck. She went wide-eyed, and gasped, "Ah!" she squealed, rather cutely in fact.

"Thank you, big sis! You helped me!" said the child. Yosuke's jaw dropped in dejection.

'_What about meeeee~?'_ he screamed in his head. Then, he saw Yukari gently pull away, and smile widely at him.

"I'm glad I did. Just don't hurt yourself again, okay?"

The child's dad then gently took him away from Yukari, and after saying his thanks to everyone, he took the child away. Yosuke and Yukari watched them disappear, then, they found each other's eyes.

"You know… you were kinda cool out there, Hanamura," she told the young man, and for once, her lips curled upward into a smile directed at him, making Yosuke almost lean back from its bright radiance, "that kid looked so happy once you did his leg up."

"Well, I'm always a bit of a healer!" grinned Yosuke. He scratched the back of his head, looking away so Yukari didn't notice the pink stinging his cheeks from her approval. Damn, what kind of power did Yukari have for that smile to make him feel so embarrassed, yet so happy? He still dreaded about his feelings.

He couldn't help but smile at her, who knew she had it in her? "But man, Takeba-san, you're actually kinda nice! When you want to be, that is."

Her eyebrows furrowed, "What was that?!"

Instead of panicking, Yosuke tried to keep it cool and flashed his smooth grin, "Nothing, Takeba-san~"

She sneered, but at the same time, chuckled, "Heh," Yukari put her foot on the floor, and quickly stood up, turning her back to Yosuke, "Anyways, I'm off. Bye, Hanamura." Then, she looked over her shoulder and smirked slightly, "And good job."

He watched her exit out the store, but when Junpei returned, Yosuke only looked up at him, the wide grin still ever so prominent on his cheerful face. Junpei cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Guess things got better between you and Yuka-tan, huh Hanamura?"

"What do you think, bro? And by the way, call me Yosuke now," smirked the brown-haired boy. Junpei put his hands on his hips and tilted his head up.

"I'd say ya did! And sure thing Yosuke… bet you can drop the –san now, too."

Yosuke actually felt a joy in his heart as he nodded back, that moment with Yukari was one that actually made him feel a little better about his feelings. "Hell yeah. But, Junpei, I gotta go man. I think I've had enough of Junes for a bit."

What made Yosuke raise an eyebrow was when Junpei went open-mouthed, then he put a finger up, "Aw man! I almost forgot! Dude, tomorrow, they're having something called JunesCon. They're revealing who Ms. Junes is gonna be!" then, Junpei grinned, "I just know it's gonna be Yuka-tan! She's the only hot girl they got!"

Yosuke had to use his brown hair to try and hide the pink that bloomed in his cheeks, thinking about Yukari in that bikini, "JunesCon, yeah, got it, I'll see you there… later, Junpei!"

After waving goodbye to the capped man, Yosuke spread his arms apart as the automatic doors opened, and he took in the fresh summer air. Remembering what just happened, he felt really happy hearing those words coming from Yukari, it was like a tingle of joy right to his heart. But he still was wary about his feelings for her….

"Excuse me, Hanamura-san, but do you have any idea where one Yukari Takeba-san may have gone?"

Yosuke's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped for cold sweat began to pour down his forehead. That voice was familiar. Quavering with emotion, but with that slight robotic edge, he hadn't heard that voice in months. He just hoped that this time, there would be no confusion, especially since they weren't in the Midnight Channel….

He turned around to see the short, flowing blonde hair, the mechanical ear pieces, and the adorable face of one certain robot. Her mechanical body was hidden by a black uniform, ending with a skirt that flowed down to her knees, her pegs covered by black shoes (how did that work she didn't even have feet).

When he looked back up at her face, she smiled, showing perfect white teeth.

"Aigis?" said a confused Yosuke, "What're you doing here?"

"It's simple, isn't it?" she responded back. She tilted her head, and smiled even further, "I'm a friend of Yukari-san. I saw you just talking to her and Junpei-san, but before I could get there, she was gone. I was wondering…" her expression fell to a flat and voice grew much colder and deadpan, a tone that sent a shiver up Yosuke's spine, "what is your relationship with Yukari-san?"

Yosuke's eyes popped open and a cold sweat drenched his forehead. "Oh shit."


	7. Explain To One's Self

**Port 6: Explain To One's Self**

**Author's Note: Damn. I really want to update more, but I hope this one last bit of buildup will count.**

_In this chapter: Aigis is a good translator between the former S.E.E.S. and the Investigation Team._

* * *

To say today wasn't going to be a good day was exactly that for one Yosuke Hanamura. Currently stuck staring into the blue, cybernetic but still so human eyes of Aigis, he tried to grin, but it came out too late and taut around the edges.

"D-D-Don't hurt me!" he squealed, "What happened between me and Labrys was in the past!"

Aigis' deadpan expression remained the same. "Hurt you? Why would I do such a thing?"

"Wait, what?"

Aigis finally showed a glimpse of emotion, as a blonde eyebrow raised in confusion, "Hanamura-san, why do you believe I would hurt you? You are a friend of mine, and I couldn't once dream of hurting you voluntarily!"

Yosuke threw his arms up in exasperation, "Well you don't go around with some deadpan expression, asking questions like that! People will totally take it the wrong way!" he moaned. But, he had to admit, it was a relieving sight to see a familiar face like the android's, so he gave her a genuine smile, "But s'up, anyways? Didn't expect to see you hanging around here, I thought you kinda travelled all around Japan, you know, Shadow Operatives stuff…."

She nodded, but she put a hand to her chest, her face relaxing into a warm smile. She really was as human as anyone else now, "Well, yes. I'm so glad to hear you're doing well, Yosuke-san. But you see…" her face fell flat, giving Yosuke a dreading feeling, "… there is something I must talk to you about."

He raised his eyebrows. It had been a while since they last met each other, late last year when Aigis and Labrys had visited Inaba once again. Since Golden Week, the Investigation Team had grown closer to the Shadow Operatives, but only knew Aigis, Mitsuru and Akihiko. While Akihiko had told them about their former team, S.E.E.S., he made sure to leave the other members anonymous, as a way to protect their identities.

While Akihiko and Mitsuru's visits were few-and-far between, Aigis often visited with Labrys, and as such the two robot girls were considered to be honorary Investigation Team members.

Whenever someone, usually Yu or Chie, asked about other Shadow Operatives members, Aigis would refuse to tell them, feeling the Inaba crew were better off not knowing their identities.

And that got Yosuke interested. He nodded at the girl, "You… wanna go somewhere to talk?"

Aigis actually nodded rather profoundly, "Yes. I have three operatives I want to introduce to you… they're sat at a private café… I'll tell you when we get there."

She turned over, and started walking over to the street, away from the parking lot of Port Island's Junes. Yosuke followed, and the two soon found themselves strolling down the street, the boy following the blonde girl's lead.

Then he remembered: while Junpei was still working at Junes, Yukari was out and about, and Aigis had asked him about Yukari in the first place. Yosuke shot the girl a quizzical expression, "Hey, Aigis. You… asked me about Takeba-san, right? Well, why don't we go find her?"

The expression that crossed Aigis' face was not a pretty one. Her eyelids lowered, her eyes directed at the floor, and her cute lips pulled into a saddened frown. Obviously, something about Yukari was a sore spot for Aigis, "You may have guessed that I am a friend of Yukari-san's. However… I don't think what we're about to discuss would go too well with her."

Now he was extra curious. He remembered the look on her face when Junpei slipped out a certain word back when they had drinks… 'Minato'. Yosuke raised his eyebrows curiously, and shifted his eyes over to Aigis, as he began to walk with her, "Yeah, I get ya. So, what's it about?"

Around that point, however, that was when a more serious look drifted onto Aigis' eyes. It spoke of determination, and a desire to protect others. Whoever was trying to tell her she was not a true companion, was lying their ass off. "It's about what we went through last Golden Week… has the Midnight Channel appeared in Inaba like that over the past year?"

He swept a hand past his hair and furrowed his eyebrows, trying to think. "Nope. Ever since we got Labrys out of there, nothing's been happening. Kinda boring, but eh, what can ya do."

Aigis then stopped, and turned her body around to fix her gaze over Yosuke. "Excuse me."

The boy turned around to see a black, blank street sign, and under it was a black door. Aigis moved up to it, and gently rapped on the door thrice rhythmically. Then a click, and the door swung open. The android glanced over to Yosuke, and awkwardly raised her head. Getting the signal, Yosuke followed Aigis, and she put her face against another door, this one a sleeker, more futuristic door with segmented lines and a strange device where the handle would be.

An auto-tuned female voice then spoke, "Access granted."

The door opened with a whine, showing, to Yosuke's surprise, an indoor café. The boy followed Aigis as she wistfully paced through the open door, and he took a moment to take in the atmosphere of the café… it was quiet, restrained, but most of all, private. Aigis looked up to the upper floor of the café, and then her eyes fell upon Yosuke. He stared at the cerulean ponds, sparkling with life with the concern and protectiveness inside them, and listened to her words.

"Yosuke-san. The Midnight Channel is airing in Tatsumi Port Island. We do not know why now, but the Shadow Operatives are keeping a close eye on it, and anybody it may put into danger. What concerns us especially is that the silhouettes… three of them look like Yukari-san, Fuuka-san and Junpei-san."

Now that confused Yosuke, who cocked his eyebrow. "Eh? So… Takeba-san, Yamagishi-san and Junpei have Shadows? They'd have to face themselves?"

"Well, that may be the hypothesis usually. But it's more complex then that… because, well, I shouldn't be saying this, but Yosuke-san. Your new friends are Persona-users. They shouldn't _have_ Shadows."

"What?!" cried Yosuke. He veered back, stunned by Aigis' statement, "H-Hey, aren't Personas and Shadows the same thing or something? What gives?"

"I'm not sure, but maybe that in some subconscious form, they are rejecting their Personas through troubles they are trying to keep from us. Troubles that could possibly fracture the bonds we have formed. Or perhaps this isn't as clear-cut as we believed it was…."

"Huh…" Yosuke paused, and his eyes found the ground, as he tried to process the new information. He remembered that back last Golden Week, Aigis, Mitsuru and Akihiko had used their Personas in the Midnight Channel with ease, and at one point, during certain attacks, Akihiko and Mitsuru pointed strange gun-like tools at their foreheads. And at the end of it all, didn't he see a green-haired girl attending to mostly the Shadow Operatives…?

He looked back at Aigis, "Wait, so… how come they have Personas?"

Aigis' entire face changed from a neutral, business matter to a deeply emotional, nostalgic, if tired and weary expression. She sighed to herself, and looked up at Yosuke. Her eyes seemed to brim with more life than ever, if said life seemed to have a touch of melancholy, yet joy, in them. "It's a long story. But I'll tell you later, for sure, Yosuke-san."

She bitterly smiled at him, and he smiled back. Then the blonde android walked up the staircase, and looked over to the brunette human, "Come upstairs. I want you to meet the team for the mission."

"Wait, we're on a mission? I'm on vacation, you know!"

Aigis' expression suddenly became much more deadpan, "I had no idea a vacation consisted of working at a Junes department store with your father."

Yosuke bit his lower lip at the android's deadpan delivery at such biting words. He remained silent, with no comeback he could think of that wouldn't sound completely stupid against her. He began to follow her, and he soon made it up the staircase behind Aigis.

When Yosuke made the last step, he saw two familiar faces, and a face he had never seen before. He flashed a wide grin at one of them, but before he could approach that person, the other one, a round, soft, goofy ball of fun, bounced right into Yosuke, wrapping stubby arms around his waist.

"Uwaaaah! Yosuke~! I thought I'd never see you again!" cried the strange bear known only as Teddie, "This bear is having a grizzly good time in the big city with Labby-chan and the rest!"

"Speaking of Labby…" Yosuke looked up, and his lips automatically adjusted to a genuine, heartfelt smile to see that adorable android again.

Labrys was sat down on a rather comfortable looking chair, her wings pressed out so she could put her back on the seat without having to adjust. "S'up, Yosuke! Been a while, huh? I hope you're still keepin' outta trouble!" grinned the ponytailed android with the battle axe on her back, "Or else I gotta punish you as the President of Yasogami High School's Student Council!"

Her enthusiasm and genuine drive was still there, and that alone was enough to make Yosuke smile. "Glad to see you doing so well, Labrys!"

However, his attention diverted over to a young teenager he had never seen before, seated beside Labrys. He was rather tall, like he had been taking a lot of calcium over puberty, and his brown hair had a few cowlicks swept past his forehead. He wore what looked like an orange shirt underneath a black blazer, and black pants.

Yosuke lifted his eyebrows and crossed his arms, "Hey dude."

"Hello, Hanamura-san."

Wait, his name had been thrown around? He shot a rather befuddled look over at Aigis, who then looked over to him. She smiled over to the seated teenager passionately, "I know you were not introduced to all of us back last Golden Week. Yosuke-san, this is Ken Amada-san," however, her joyful expression suddenly turned serious, "Ken-san was the one who alerted me to the Midnight Channel."

Ken nodded, and Yosuke got a better look at his features. He had wide eyes, but there was that glint of seriousness held within them, and his face was slightly round and feminine, making him look soft, if still masculine, but he still held a mature air around him. Really, the boy reminded Yosuke of Naoto… albeit a much taller Naoto.

"Yes. About a week ago, on a rainy night, I was studying, when my TV suddenly switched on and went to yellow static. What bothered me was that it was midnight, and I swore I saw three silhouettes. What disturbed me was that they were like Yukari-san, Junpei-san and Fuuka-san… and from what Akihiko-san, Mitsuru-san and you have told me about what happened to Labrys… yet why would they have Shadows? I saw Junpei-san use Trismegistus only a month ago, and I definitely know Fuuka-san is still with Juno, and the same with Yukari-san and Isis."

Yosuke decided to put his two cents towards the boy's comment. "Huh, that's… weird. Maybe something's up… might be to do with that hacker guy from Golden Week…" he grimaced. When he looked over at Labrys, he saw her shudder, then her eyes blazed with spirit.

"That is a possibility," nodded Aigis, "but we should concern ourselves with protecting Yukari-san, Junpei-san and Fuuka-san. Yosuke-san, can you and Teddie-san explain to the three about the Midnight Channel in detail?"

Yosuke grimaced. It was bad enough that they had to pull him away while he was on vacation (and just escaped the clutches of Junes), but he did need to get a workout for him and Susano-o. So going back to the TV world was always a treat, even if he didn't like the sounds of what was going on.

But it was Teddie who took the spotlight, as he raised his round self up onto the chair and put a hand up, "Hmmhmm, but you underestimate me, Ai-chan! You and the gorgeous Miss President over here are all why I came~ because Kanji is bear-y boring! I'll tell you all the things I know about the Midnight Channel!" then, he blushed and began puckering his lips 'innocently', "But you gotta give me a kiss first~"

"That ya ain't gettin'!" grinned Labrys, who patted him on the head instead. Teddie just smiled like heaven graced him.

"Ah~ but a pat on the head from you is good enough, Labby-chan~"

"With that out of the way, we should wait for the rest. But, Labrys, we must do something first…" she walked over to Labrys, who stood up in response.

Labrys and Aigis turned to each other, and then put one arm up each. They then nodded in synchronization. "Ready, sis?"

"Yes, Labrys."

"Ai and Labby in the morning!" both robot girls said in tune, then they clapped each other's hand, their free hand clapping against their collars. The sign of sisterly affection was enough to make everyone in the room smile for the two androids, especially Yosuke and Teddie.

However, Yosuke began to feel that shrieking, distorted feeling within the sea of his soul, and the headaches reemerged in full bloom. This time, he wasn't drawn to the presence he was drawn to the last few times (Yukari), but it felt like something else… no, someone else. A quiet, gentle presence radiated itself towards him.

Susano-o was shrieking, and he _really_ didn't like it this time around. But who came through the door was what surprised him.

It was Fuuka. She stepped into the café with wide, brimming eyes, and she smiled at the gang.

Yosuke knew immediately that Fuuka was the cause of his headaches. She sat down next to Ken, and looked at him like she was reuniting with an old friend, which she was, "Hello, Ken-kun. You've grown since last year at Yakushima!" she giggled.

"Well, I am 15 now," Ken spoke back, "but I think my age has nothing to do with it…" however, his serious expression cracked into a warm, almost childish smile, "I'm so glad to see you too, Fuuka-san."

Yosuke just kept shaking though. His head was throbbing, Susano-o was grinding against his psyche, something was definitely interfering with the Persona's connection to him, and he didn't like it. There was another soul calling out to him within the sea, but this time, it was if he was being stared down, his layers peeled with the soul's stare.

Yosuke felt a stubby hand push against his shoulder, and he looked over to Teddie. The bear was grasping his round ears with his hands, "Grr, Kamui just won't stop! There is something about this cutie pie that keeps gnawing away at my beautiful furry mind!"

Yosuke's eyes shot wide and he cocked an eyebrow, he was relieved, but surprised, to hear that. "Wait, you too? Man… glad I'm not the only one…."

"Huh?" said a suddenly confused Teddie. Then, Labrys began to turn, apparently interested to what was going on. Yosuke wondered there, did she have the strange reactions that he and Teddie were having to these Persona users?

Suddenly, the door opened, and all eyes were on the next two figures who arrived: Junpei and Yukari. Junpei was still clad in his Junes work apron, scratching his head awkwardly and looking around like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Yukari had a haughty frown on her face, and refused to look at Junpei.

Aigis visibly lit up once the two stepped in, and she bowed right before them. Yosuke had to wonder what kind of bond the three had together. "I'm so glad you both made it!" grinned Aigis.

Yukari jerked her thumb over to the capped man and grunted, "We'd be earlier if it weren't for this guy. He had to stay behind because one of the suits wanted to see him. Seriously, I should have just left him there."

"But you didn't, huh, Yuka-tan?" Junpei cut in, grinning as he said that. He then stepped back a little, glancing away from everybody sheepishly. Yosuke remembered Junpei's job at Junes, and frowned as the implications connected in his mind.

She rolled her eyes, "Well… I thought you'd need someone to bail you, that someone's me. Don't take it that way, Junpei."

Junpei only narrowed his eyes and gave a smirk at Yukari, "Can't help it, Yuka-tan~"

To Yosuke's surprise, Yukari turned and returned the gesture. Seeing that playful smirk on Yukari's lips, and imagining it directed to him, with those pretty eyes raised with alluring cute confidence….

"Yosuke, your face is red!" cried Teddie.

And indeed, when he put a hand to his hot cheek, Yosuke could have kicked himself. He was blushing again, and this time in public! He shook his head, trying to wash the cheeks free from color. "H-Hey! Teddie! Knock it off!"

Teddie giggled, along with Labrys too. Now Yosuke had no problems with letting his good emotions out, but there was just something about seeing the girl he crushed on, flirting happily with another guy. It didn't help that he had only known Junpei for a few days at best, and those two had a history together.

Did they date in the past? That alone wasn't so bad, but he got the feeling something really bad had happened to them in the past, and while he wasn't going to push it, the curious side of him couldn't help but wonder.

"A-Ah! J-Juno?!" suddenly cried Fuuka. Everyone turned to her, and Yosuke in particular paled, as he heard a gentle, telepathic whisper in his head. This caused Susano-o to screech out, the interference enough to make Yosuke grunt in pain.

"What's wrong, Yamagishi-san?" asked Yosuke.

Fuuka then turned her eyes to him, and so did everyone else. This made him feel like daggers were aimed at him, "Hanamura-kun… I think… Juno senses a Persona within you… and Teddie-kun, too! Now I know where I remember you two from…."

Yosuke blanched there. Oh god, he had let the cat out of the bag, and he remembered how the Kirijo group tried to deny the existence of Personas, putting all registered users down on specifically guarded lists and refusing to tell fellow Persona users about the other. As far as Yosuke knew, he, his friends, Mitsuru, Akihiko, Aigis, Labrys and whoever was in S.E.E.S. and in the Shadow Operatives were Persona users, and that was it as far as his knowledge went.

He just wondered what Fuuka's deal was, but his stomach began to clench, and Susano-o began to rattle out, screaming in his consciousness. It was starting to clash with what else was in the three's heads, and this time, he noticed that Yukari, Junpei and Ken also felt it. They clutched their foreheads and moaned.

"Gah! Man, what was that…" muttered Junpei, "Trismegistus is goin' nuts!"

"Kala-Nemi… you sense it too?" grunted Ken.

Yukari gripped her head with both hands, her nails kneading into her hair strands, "So this was what Isis felt…" she muttered to herself.

Suddenly, Fuuka's eyes widened, and she looked at Yosuke as if she had seen a ghost.

"Ah! I realize where I recognize your face!" cried Fuuka, "I saw you among the group when you guys got out of the TV!"

"Hey, wait a minute…" Junpei recalled, as his fingers adjusted the shade of his cap slightly, spinning it a little on his head, "didn't Ai-chan say something about more teenagers out there with the power of Persona? That those guys were some kids out in some country town."

Yukari nodded her head, crossing her legs underneath the table, something which got a small, delighted glance from Yosuke (who was glad she didn't catch him), "Yeah… and Mitsuru-senpai said it was a tournament she had found herself in."

"That's the P-1 Grand Prix!" suddenly shouted Teddie, who sat up and flexed his stubby arms, showing off false muscles, "A competition to prove the manliest of all men!" then Teddie got quieter, and he frowned childishly, "But that wasn't meant to be…."

Labrys bit her lower lip, and Aigis put her arm around her in concern. Yosuke also shot Labrys a concerned look, knowing what happened that Golden Week was not a picnic for anyone. And after the two mysterious characters behind the incident were defeated, they were determined to make sure nothing like that happened again.

Yukari looked around awkwardly, and then nodded to Aigis, "Maybe we should talk about something else… like, what did you want, Aigis?"

The look on Aigis' face said that she feared having to tell them. Yosuke thought that maybe he ought to say something, but Aigis sighed to herself, and looked directly at Yukari, also shooting glances at Junpei and Fuuka.

"… me, Labrys and Fuuka-san are familiar with the Midnight Channel. But since Yukari-san, Junpei-san and Ken-san were not involved in the Golden Week incident, they only have our stories to go by… and I doubt those would have anything on our two guests, Teddie-san and Yosuke-san."

Junpei turned his head over to Yosuke and grinned widely, "Yosuke, you really are a Persona-user too? Wow… well, come on man, tell us how you got it? Ai-chan said you guys didn't use Evokers or anything…."

Yosuke's eyes widened, and he grimaced, thinking of those guns. How Aigis and friends went around shooting themselves in the head, he didn't know. At least he didn't stab himself or use a Game Boy to summon his Persona. "Yeah… we just called out to them. We tended to smash tarot cards, but that's about it…."

"Well me and Yosuke will tell you everything! Ai-chan knows you, and you are supposed to be Persona-users!" Teddie smiled brightly, completely interrupting Yosuke's flow. The brunette boy scowled.

"Dude, I was talking?"

The bear completely ignored Yosuke, then he looked around, staring specifically at Labrys, then Aigis, then Yukari, then Fuuka, and had the widest, most innocent smile on his face, "But first… four bear-utiful ladies! Labby-chan, Ai-chan, and two real cutie pies!"

Fuuka smiled bashfully, and bowed, "T-Thank you, Teddie-kun, I'm Fuuka Yamagishi…."

"Oho! I have the perfect nickname for you… Fuu-chan!"

The green-haired girl gasped, but smiled gently, kneading her fingers together, "Oh… I think I like that…."

Yukari's eyes went as wide as dinner plates, and she gave an awkward frown, "Er, do you even know what you're saying? You're just a bear…."

"Just a bear?!" Teddie shouted, quickly prickled by that remark, "I'll have you know I'm no ordinary bear! What bears speak and work at Junes, huh?!"

"Umm… some guy in a costume," Yukari said, "anyways, since Fuuka introduced herself, I better do the same. I'm Yukari Takeba."

Yosuke knew immediately where this was going, and he shot a 'oh god this isn't going to end well' glance at Junpei, who nodded along. So he decided to watch the fireworks unfold, and couldn't hold back a smile. The goofy bear and the fiery model would be something to watch.

And boy, the look on Teddie's face said it all, as his clumsy face shone with that perky cheerfulness, "Huh… I'll call you Yuka-chan!"

Yukari sat there in silence for a second, then, she sneered in embarrassment and closed her eyes, "Yuka-chan… seriously?" she moaned, "That's as bad as Yuka-tan, no, that's even worse…."

Junpei coughed, and slapped his forehead, repressing a fit of laughter. Eyes turned to Junpei, particularly a narrowed stare from Yukari, but Yosuke decided he'd press the issue more, and spoke out, "Hey, I think it's kinda cute, don't you agree?"

The wink he gave her was enough for a growling frown to grow on Yukari's face. Junpei grinned widely with excitement, "Oh yeah, I think I got a better name too! _Junes-tan_~"

A confused Aigis, a curious Ken and a exasperated Fuuka's focus diverted between the four, with Labrys unable to hold her giggling, especially with Yukari now grinding her teeth. Yosuke couldn't help it, and while he felt a little guilty laughing at _her_, he laughed. He wasn't a giggling maniac like Yukiko, luckily.

Yukari scowled, her eyes blazing, "You three can go shove it!" she yelled.

And at that, Yosuke, Teddie and Junpei were stuck in a frenzy of laughter. The three would have continued laughing, if Labrys hadn't moved over to Teddie and Yosuke and gripped their shoulders with her powerful metallic grip, While she was friendly and cheery, she did have super strength, and the sudden pain in his shoulder made Yosuke stop. Teddie did the same, but squealed in pain.

"Ow, Labby-chan! What's that for!"

"Ya gotta get on subject, Ted! Gotta stop playin' around an' all."

Yosuke grunted in annoyance, and shut his eyes, "Why do I have to get punished…?"

"Ya kept on pushin' her buttons, Yosuke," said Labrys. When Yosuke looked back at her, she had that wide, adorable grin on her face. He hoped it'd never fade.

Aigis too, now looked a little stern, "Yes. I'd like you to get on subject, please."

Well, looked like he had to tell them. Hell, he was always up for telling new Persona-users about his journey, it might help them along the way. "Well… how do you explain this… it's kind of a long story, but I'll try to break it down for ya."

And before he could even start, Teddie rushed forward with a triumphant grin, "Only I can tell the full story! And-"

Yosuke slammed his palm against the bear's face, and grunted as Teddie wrestled back in an attempt to tussle with the boy. Yosuke growled, "Jeez, Teddie! Stop making things harder than they already are!"

He finally managed to push Teddie back, and Labrys immediately caught Teddie for a hug. Teddie beamed, and smiled innocently in Labrys' arms, "What a grizzly sensation across my manly chest~"

"Okay, so you guys are familiar with the whole TV World thing, right? Golden Week and all that?" everyone nodded, and Yosuke smiled, "Yeah, well, those were a crazy few days alright. So here's the short story….

"Back in April, 2011, strange murders started around the Inaba area. I'm pretty sure you guys up in Port Island would have gotten reports…."

Junpei's eyes widened, "Yeah, those strange killings… man, were we surprised when we found out Shadows were involved…."

Yosuke nodded, "Yeah. Turns out, there was a rumor going around about the Midnight Channel… on a rainy night, the TV would automatically switch on, and show you a vision of your soul mate. Stuff was the talk of the town, man. Anyways, my best friend, my partner, Yu Narukami, decided to try this out, and, well... we got thrown into the TV. Then…" he gestured over to Teddie with a thumb, "we met this guy."

"I didn't know it back then, but it was the happiest day of my life when I met Sensei, Yosuke and Chie-chan for the first time!" the cheerful bear told the rest.

Yosuke flashed him a wide grin, "Hehe, this guy saved our asses back then. But the second time we came back, just Yu and me, some Shadows came to attack us… and Yu did the strangest thing. He crushed a card in his hands, and this badass spirit comes out and kills the Shadows! Later on, we found out it was called a Persona."

"A card? What, he didn't use an Evoker?" asked Junpei, who then got looks ranging from confusion, to surprise. His expression turned quizzical, "What?"

Yukari scoffed, "Pfft, Stupei. You know Aigis, Akihiko-senpai and Mitsuru told us it was a lot easier to summon Personas in this Midnight Channel thing."

"What's an Evoker?" asked Teddie. Aigis then gave him a stoic, robotic look.

"You do not want to know."

Of course, they were getting off track again. Yosuke cleared his throat, and smiled awkwardly, "Anyways… we go into the place further, and, well… if you don't have a Persona when you go to the Midnight Channel, and you have some real issues and flaws… you meet a Shadow."

Yosuke felt a little uneasy, talking about his Shadow in front of people he'd only met a few days back. It wasn't easy at all to accept your flaws and burdens, or to even admit it. He looked over at Teddie, and Labrys, and while Teddie only held a glimmer of sadness, Labrys sighed, and tried to smile.

Yukari only raised an eyebrow, "… so? So stuff like, Labrys' whole Shadow thing?"

Labrys nodded, "Yeah. When ya accept yourself, flaws 'n' all, ya get a Persona."

However, Ken stood up slightly, and gave a fascinated look over to Yosuke and Teddie, "But… Aigis-san, Akihiko-san and Mitsuru-san didn't encounter their Shadows in the Midnight Channel. They said a fake Shadow tried to get into their heads, but it wasn't the real deal."

Yosuke nodded, knowing well what Ken was talking about, but only smiled. That entity really was a fool. "But yeah… it's your worst fears, flaws, ramped up all the way up to eleven. I mean, you could be feeling lonely, or bored of the place you live in… and this Shadow will pop up, claiming you're glad people are being hurt, killed even, just to give you some excitement and the chance to play hero."

Yosuke let his head fall down, but Teddie shot him a sympathetic look. He had just described his own Shadow, but everyone just stared in amazement.

Teddie nodded, "That's bear-y right! Me, Yosuke, Sensei, Chie-chan and the rest saved people from their Shadows, we'd go to Junes in the afternoon when it rained, and try to solve the case! I met my best friends, like Yuki-chan, and Kanji, and Rise-chan, and Nao-chan! We did a lot of cool stuff!"

The next person to speak up was Yosuke, "Yeah, and the strangest thing was, Yu had this ability to change Personas. Seriously, it was totally unreal… he'd bust out some really crazy shit when he had to."

While Aigis, Fuuka and Labrys weren't surprised, having seen Yu in action during Golden Week, Yukari, Junpei and Ken went wide-eyed, with Yukari in particular having a dazed expression on her face. She blinked a few times, while Junpei looked rather stunned. Ken stared in wonder.

"H-Hey, seriously? Your… friend, he could change Personas?" Yukari almost whimpered.

Yosuke was starting to get curious… he knew Aigis had the same ability, but Yukari's expression looked deeply haunted. "Well, yeah, that's what I said."

Junpei was the next to speak up, "Wow, dude. I mean, I thought Ai-chan was the only one able to do that… and…"

Ken, who had a grave frown on his face, gently nudged Junpei, who shut up there. Yosuke quirked his eyebrows at that, but he decided not to push the subject.

"But yeah… while fighting Shadows in this strange new place, we eventually found out who the killer was… he was right under our nose all this time…."

"Like Ikutsuki…" Ken muttered under his breath. Yosuke was about to ask, but held back his question. Aigis and Labrys had nostalgic smiles on their faces, while Yukari frowned. She put his hands on the table, and looked away from Yosuke, her hands trembling.

"So… a world full of Shadows, huh… no matter how hard we tried, we never did stop the whole Shadow problem…."

Junpei, on the other hand, stared in excitement, almost grinning, "Wow… that's just totally crazy…."

Yukari's hands kept shaking, and she gripped at the table, her manicured nails digging into the wood, "No wonder I didn't go to Inaba during Golden Week… I guess I wouldn't be able to handle it, huh."

Worry crawled over Aigis, Junpei and Fuuka's faces as they turned their sights to Yukari, but Teddie, always the icebreaker, had that good old innocent smile on his face. "Don't worry, Yuka-chan! The Shadows won't hurt you unless you hurt them nowadays! We're _docile_~"

Oh god, this conversation could get awkward quickly, so Yosuke decided he'd push forward, and finish up explaining, "Yeah, it was a crazy adventure. But in the end, we found out the goddess behind the Midnight Channel, Izanami. We confronted her, and fought her, because she was looking over humanity's response to her test, and thought we all despaired and wanted to become Shadows, so she put a fog over Inaba to slowly corrode us. But we fought back, and showed her the truth ourselves, thanks to Yu's awesome power. Yu used all his power to beat a goddess… amazing, huh?"

Junpei's eyes widened, almost to the size of dinner plates. His jaw quivered, and his arms started shaking. What disturbed Yosuke was the look of horror that dawned on his face, "Junpei, what's up, man?"

The capped man looked over to a worried Ken, and to Fuuka, who looked pale. Yosuke raised an eyebrow at the man with the goatee, as Junpei spoke, "Dude... so your leader... Narukami... is he… alive?"

Yosuke nodded, wondering why Junpei looked so sullen, "Yeah, he's alive and well. What's wrong?"

The capped man simply looked away from his gaze. "... Nuthin' dude. Nuthin'."

When he looked over to Yukari, on the other hand, she looked to be a flicker away from tears. Yosuke's heart sank, and he considered asking her what got her so down, but she spoke before he could say anything. "But… but… so Narukami…."

Ken and Fuuka looked at each other, guilt racking their expressions.

Aigis' lips curled downward, and she scooted over to Yukari to put a comforting hand on the young woman's shoulder, "Yukari-san…."

Teddie leapt out of his chair in a hurry, and ran up to Yukari with a confused look on his face, "Don't get sad, Yuka-chan! I don't like to see a girl cry! It makes me bear-y mad!"

A chair grinded against the ground, and everyone's eyes directed up at Yukari, her face flushed with frustration and guilt, as she stood up to her feet. Yosuke felt a pang of shame, had he said something about the Midnight Channel that got to her? Either way, he looked up, and saw that Aigis, Fuuka and Junpei had gotten to their feet as well.

"I… I'm gonna go, okay? This is a bit too much… I mean, we get a year after the whole Golden Week thing, and now _this_? I just need to get home and think this through."

"Yukari-san… are you alright?" asked Aigis with great concern.

"You don't look so good, Yukari-chan…" Fuuka looked sadly at her brunette friend.

Junpei put his hand into his jean pocket, and frowned gravely, "Ya want me to take ya home, Yuka-tan?" he asked. Yukari just shook her head, and began to walk away.

"I… I really just need to get my head straight… I mean, it was weird and all with Mitsuru telling me last year, but hearing about it now, from a guy who's been there?"

"What?! How could you forget that this beautiful bear also told you about our struggles too?!" Teddie cried out. Ken shot him an unwavering glare in response.

Yukari just rolled her eyes, but before she could speak again, Junpei spoke up. "Yeah, I mean, it's kinda spooky, but it's really interesting as well. A whole world in a TV, Shadows everywhere… maybe that's got something to do with the Dark Hour…."

Now that interested Yosuke, and when he looked over at Teddie, he knew the bear had the same thoughts as well, "The Dark Hour? What's that all about?"

The look of hurt on Aigis' face was something that he wouldn't be able to get out of his memory for a while. She looked over at the heartbroken Yukari, the begrudged Junpei, the upset Fuuka and the guilty Ken, and shook her head. Labrys looked around, wide-eyed at the tension, and Yosuke had to admit, Aigis being mad at him was something he didn't want.

Aigis only smiled back, but it was one racked with nostalgia and sadness, "I… I will have to tell you two some other time…."

She got off the chair, and looked over at Labrys with a gentle smile, "Come now, Labrys."

"So we're goin' now, sis?" asked the silver-haired robot, who pouted, "Aw man! I wanted ta spend some more time with Yosuke an' Ted!"

"We will see them again tomorrow," Aigis smiled joyfully, "but we have things to do."

Ken nodded, and smiled awkwardly in a way that didn't suit the mood, and looked at Yosuke, "Yes... thank you for the explanation, Yosuke-san, Teddie-san."

Yosuke grinned with friendly intentions, "No problem, dude."

Then Junpei leaned over to Yosuke. He smiled, showing his teeth, and Yosuke only grinned back at his friend. "Hey, Yosuke, I'll seeya tomorrow, okay man?" said Junpei. His face had that usual wide grin about him, but his eyes painted a different picture. He only adjusted the hilt of his cap, and stood right up, his eyes going back to Yukari, who was heading to the exit.

There was something that made Yosuke feel a little dizzy, but he shook his head, and smiled over at Junpei. He hoped everything would be alright for him and Yukari. He really did.

Yosuke frowned to himself, and then frowned at Teddie, who still had the confused look on his face. "Ya know Teddie… I wonder what's up with these guys and that Minato dude. They kinda acted strange when he got brought up."

The bear put a hand to his 'chin' and gave a cocky grin, "Well, Yosuke, my Teddie senses are working overtime to figure this out! But…" after a few seconds, he let his head fall, "my Teddie senses aren't tingling…."

The boy could only make an annoyed face, but couldn't help but smile at the bear's jokes, "Damn it, Teddie, I'm trying to be serious here!"

At the same time though, he really did wonder… these guys definitely had a past, one they weren't keen to show any time soon… Yosuke nodded, and Teddie nodded back. He grinned excitedly at the bear, "Looks like there's something more than just mere Shadows…."

* * *

**The next day**

The four had agreed to go to JunesCon together, to go keep track on Yosuke, Teddie, Junpei and Yukari. Labrys in particular was very excited: this was her first convention, an event she was yet to experience, and she was ready to see what all the fuss was about.

On the train with Aigis, along with Ken and Fuuka, the wide smile on Labrys' face only increased. The bonds she had formed since her ordeal in the Midnight Channel had kept her going through the tough first year adjusting to modern society, especially as an agent of the Shadow Operatives. But, she wouldn't back down no matter what happened now.

"Are you excited, Labrys?" asked Aigis, who gently put a hand on her sister's shoulder and smiled lovingly at her. Labrys grinned back, feeling warm just to be with her sister.

"Oh yeah, sis! I'm hyped for 'dis!" the Kansai-accented android chirped up, adjusting her jacket and jeans, "But we gotta keep an eye out on da others, right?"

"Exactly, nothing's happened yet, but I think we should be on our guard…."

After getting off the train to Pawlounia Mall, the four began to walk down towards JunesCon with not a care in the world. But even though she was with her friends, Labrys just had a very, very bad feeling about today. It felt sick… wrong, like the feeling she had when she was first thrown into the Midnight Channel. She uneasily slinked back, unable to suppress a frown as she looked at the smiling Aigis, Fuuka and Ken.

"I gotta very bad feeling 'bout this…."


	8. Interlude: Pictures of You

**Interlude: Pictures of You, Pictures of Me**

**Author Note: Hoo! I thought this may help my update rate, but either way, enjoy, and note the cameo at the end!**

* * *

**Last night, before JunesCon**

She had walked alone back to her apartment. She needed the walk, and while the orange radiance of the sun shone down on the streets, Yukari had thought to herself all the way through.

She was embarrassed at herself, for nearly falling apart at that café. Even though she had cried in front of Junpei, Fuuka, Aigis and Ken before, to have those two new guys and Labrys there, made Yukari uncomfortable to reveal her true emotions. She could still show her true feelings to those she truly trusted, but after what happened to her love, she just felt wary of showing herself.

She wasn't as judgmental or resentful as she used to be. Yukari felt she was a better person now. But she still didn't want to be hurt, to have her emotions used against her.

Yukari soon made it to her apartment, and soon closed it, taking in the cool air-conditioned breeze inside the apartment. Slipping her shoes off, Yukari quickly did her chores, to keep her reeling mind off things. It was about half an hour later that she allowed her mind time to think, as she fell down on her couch and put her bare feet up on the couch's leg.

When she put the TV on, she grimaced at the Junes commercial currently airing. It was just a usual advertisement, with a little girl with dark brown hair swaying to the beat with the cutest smile on her face. The cutesy Junes jingle rang as she sang, "Everyday's great, at your Junes~!"

"If this Ms. Junes thing takes off, I don't even wanna think about seeing myself on TV…" Yukari whispered to herself. Still, she couldn't resist smiling at the little girl's cuteness.

She switched the TV off, and went to her bedroom, hoping to catch an early nap or something. She stepped into the bedroom, and she was about to land on her bed, ready to slip into a slumber as her head hit the pillow despite not even unsheathing her clothes, when her toe stubbed against a metal container.

Yukari yelped and grabbed her toe, hopping about on one foot, "Ow! Jeez! What the hell…?"

After the pain subsided, she crouched down to the bottom of her bed, and flipped up the duvet to see the glimmering rectangular case. She reached her hand out and pulled it to her. Nostalgia, both painful and bittersweet, lapsed over her body as she quickly undid the hatches, and opened up the case to reveal a familiar weapon.

The empty canister, shaped like a Luger, the name _S.E.E.S. _embalmed on the side of the barrel, and her finger around the trigger… an Evoker. As Mitsuru had told them after it was all over, it was a memento to their adventure four years ago, and a remembrance to live for the future.

Whenever she looked at the empty gun, memories of the Dark Hour came flying back. Running around the claustrophobic corridors of Tartarus, fighting Shadows, coming between life-and-death quite a few times, while Yukari was glad those traumatic days were over, there was this nostalgia around them. Because, in a way, she got to spend time with _him_. She never put anyone's life over anybody else, but, still….

Yukari felt a lump form in her throat, as a certain memory came back to her. Her eyebrows lifted, and she sighed tiredly, as she fell onto her bed, her hand still holding the Evoker.

January 30th, 2010. It was the night before they went into Tartarus for the last time, to face Nyx and save existence, life as they knew it, in fact. Yukari remembered the stress, the tension, and the sheer anxiety of basically having life's fate on your shoulders. It was a heavy burden, to say the very least, especially since most of the members, Minato included, had been fighting the Shadows for the last year, some that others took better than others.

She remembered that night like it was last night, actually...

* * *

**_January 30th, 2010_**

Mitsuru had taken them all out for a nice meal, to laugh, play, and enjoy what, if everything went to hell, would be the last night of their lives. Now they were all home in the dorm, and Mitsuru had ordered them to go to bed early, to save their strength.

Minato and Yukari had gone off to her room, but while Yukari had expected things to go one way or another, what she didn't expect was the look on Minato's face, a far off, distanced gaze, coupled with the biggest frown she'd ever seen on his face.

Later, she and Minato sat on her bed, still in their clothes, watching a movie in silence. Their hands were linked together, and while she was nuzzling against his shoulder, smiling and rubbing against him lovingly, Minato only managed a small smile at best. His entire body was tensed up, and he seemed to be holding something in.

The movie itself was just some boring Hollywood romance. As the movie's credits rolled, Yukari smiled, and began massaging his shoulders.

"I know something we can do together, Minato," she said, her face glowing a light shade of crimson as she giggled girlishly, rather keen to spend the rest of the night with him. Minato lifted his shoulders, no doubt eased by the massage, but then let them down.

Yukari moved her head over, her eyebrows raised at him, but he kept his head turned away, his bangs covering his face, "Hey, Minato, what's wrong?"

When Minato turned over to the brunette, the look on his face said it all. He looked down to his and Yukari's feet, and then back up at her eyes, his expression showing what a year of constant fighting and stress had done to him.

"I'm scared, Yukari."

She gasped: Minato, who had never complained, who had always kept quiet about Tartarus, and always seemed so happy, was scared? She watched her boyfriend, rather confused, but feeling sympathetic to why he felt like this, "I... I'm scared too, Minato. I mean, we've got a lot on our shoulders tomorrow. I mean, we're going to save the world, right? But," and to make him feel safe, she grinned a white smile, "I know we're gonna get through this fine."

Minato's expression didn't change a single bit, "No, I'm really scared. I... I never wanted... we've got the entire fate of the world on our shoulders. If we screw up... if _I_ screw up... it's all over. It's not like a video game... no extra lives, and once you lose once, that's it, game over."

Yukari's confident grin had faded into a nervous smile, as her own heart grew heavier and heavier. He had been her tower, her wall, when she was feeling down, and gave her the love and support she needed, that her own parents weren't able to give her. He was the one who pulled her out of isolation, and she wasn't going to let him suffer like this.

She pulled him in for a hug, and stroked his dark blue hair with her soft hands. Now, it was time to return the favor. "I... I know... but you won't die, Minato."

She eased the hug, and he pulled away, still locked in her embrace, and placed his hands on her slim shoulders. His frown had led to an open mouth, and his eyes were doing something they were never doing before.

Tears were falling down. His eyes had a look of absolute pain in them, a look of stress, heartbreak, and sheer, inconceivable pain, "Yukari..." he sobbed, biting his lip, before kneeling his head down, "I'm... I'm... really afraid... I want to live... I want all of us to live through this..."

Yukari watched, feeling a further pain to see Minato suffering like this, to see him crack under the pressure. Her own eyes began to feel tears gathering, as a gutting feeling built up inside her. She gently let him rest his head on her body, to let him take in her warmth, and watched him sink to her knees. His face fell to her lap, and his pained sobs absolutely broke her heart, as she imagined just how much pressure must be on his shoulders in particular. His tears fell against her skirt, and he choked on his sobs, as his hands gripped tighter on her skirt.

She was powerful in her own regard, but he had everything. And everyone needed him to do everything.

"I'm scared, Yukari... I don't want to lose you, or Junpei, or Mitsuru-senpai, or Akihiko-senpai, or Fuuka-chan, or Ken-kun, or Koro-chan, or Aigis, not after we lost Shinjiro-senpai..."

Yukari stared with astonishment; she felt her bond with Minato grow even stronger. For the last year, he had been nothing but a smiling, laughing joker, if rather emotionally forced, and to see him finally breaking from the pressure and revealing the scared boy underneath, the fragile young man, showed her that even Minato Arisato was human.

That he was the one suffering.

Forcing back her own tears, what she did, was cup his left cheek with her hand, gently lift his head up, and look at the hot, wet tears gently pour down his face. She knew there that she couldn't cry, she would smile for him at his darkest hour. Her hand stroked his cheek, and with a gentle, peaceful smile on her face, and with the most confident tone she could muster, Yukari told this to Minato:

"I'm not going anywhere, Minato. And neither are you. Why don't we... forget the tears, and let's make this a night we won't forget... how about that?" her cheeks flushed a tint of pink, as her other hand cupped his face, and she let Minato sniff back a sob, and let a small, but still genuine, smile emerge on his face.

"Yeah... let's just... be together, and then we can celebrate tomorrow night, and the night after, and..."

She cut him off with a kiss on the lips, which Minato returned. Her face completely red now, she grinned, enjoying the smile on his face. Minato then wrapped his arms around her, and a warm feeling spread itself throughout Yukari's body, as their hands joined, their bodies came into contact, and for the last time, the two made love.

And it was the sweetest, most intimate moment between the two, and one that would make them whole.

* * *

**_July 10th, 2013_**

Her heart fell heavy, and she felt dazed. Sometimes, Yukari would really wonder if three whole years had passed since that moment, and when she really thought about it, four years ago, she had been fighting the Shadows underneath his command. She smiled sadly, but sighed, her heart beating rapidly. Some may say she needed to get over him… she would, and she tried. But she had to accept that her love was gone.

The recollection, guilt and grief started to collect in her stomach and start ripping her apart from the inside. She had meant every word she had said that night, and yet, when it mattered, she couldn't do anything. She had to watch him sacrifice himself to stop Nyx, and while she eventually understood that sacrifice, and loved him even more….

Yukari wondered to herself. Really, she had the feeling that had Minato survived their journey, as he grew older with her, perhaps they'd have fallen apart. High school romances were never meant to be, usually, and while Yukari felt something special between her and Minato back when she was 17 and love-struck, at age 20, she found herself torn between her promise to live her life to the fullest, and her memories of the past.

She sighed, and moved over to a desk, retrieving a photo album. She flipped to a section dedicated to life in Gekkoukan, and frowned sadly when she saw the photos with _him_ and her playing around, going on dates, and acting like a fun couple.

There was her and him on the Gekkoukan High rooftop, Yukari had a sincere grin, and Minato put the thumbs up, nuzzling to Yukari with a smile on his face. Now, Yukari felt that tinge of melancholy, but she also smiled at how adorable Minato looked.

Before she could get too moody about it, she put the photo away, and withdrew another. This time, it made her sniffle, and only deepened the feeling of loss and bitter happiness in her chest.

The photo had the two in their casual summer outfits, pink tanktop and jeans for Yukari, blue-sleeved shirt and long pants for Minato, resting at the bench outside Wild Duck Burger, a burger in Minato's hand, nibbling at it with a wide smile. Yukari was leaning back, happily grinning at her boyfriend's eagerness for burgers.

After the photo was taken, Minato had taken a big bite of the burger, and the ketchup and mayo splashed onto his face. The sheer silliness of S.E.E.S.' fearless field leader being unable to cleanly eat a burger had made Yukari laugh out loud then, and now, she held back a chuckle.

That only served to make the gnawing feeling in her chest even worse.

She laid the photo down on the bench, and traced it with a fingernail. It fell on the blue-haired boy's face, and her lips grew into a graver frown. She had so much to tell him, but… she couldn't tell him. Yukari looked at the photo, and while she could look at it and smile, there was that gripping feeling of isolation that got her at her moments of weakness.

Trying to hold it together, Yukari spoke up, her throat growing tighter as she spoke, "Hey, Minato… it's me. I… I hope you're still watching us from the seal. You know that promise we all made three years ago, to live our lives to the fullest? Well, today, I got a new job... I'm gonna be entertaining people, to make their lives brighter! Maybe I can stop some people from wishing for the Fall!"

She tried to smile, but it was false like always whenever she really thought about him. Yukari began to feel tears forming in her eyes, but tried to hold them back, "I… I hope you're watching me. I really h-hope you're proud of me. I'll always love you, Minato."

She slipped the photo back in and placed the photo album back where it belonged, blinking all the while. Yukari could feel the tears in her ducts from the pain, and she shook her head to get out of her daze.

"I'll… guess I'll go do college work or something…" she muttered to herself, mostly as reassurance. Studying always helped with pushing things out of her mind, as it did with most people.

* * *

Junpei really didn't know what caused him to drag his ass over to Club Escapade. After his less-than-perfect first day at Junes, he needed to kick back and spend the night somewhere, just to forget everything. He always had a lot on his mind, his inability to find good work, his poor decisions, his lonely apartment, but once he got into his groove, he could forget all that.

He had quickly approached the entrance and went inside, where a competent visual kei band was playing. He saw the pumped crowd, and looked up to the performance stage.

A tall man with blue, gelled up hair strutted around flamboyantly, clad in a form fitting tanktop, dark blue pants with a chain attached to his belt on the right hand side, black heeled shoes, and his face clad in visual kei makeup. He sung out into the microphone, while his band mates played to their instruments.

"_THIS WALL IS SPREAD WITH LOOOOOOOOOOOVE~ OH BABY BABY~! JOIN ME IN THIS INNOCENT SIN!"_

Anyone could tell that they didn't have much natural skill, but they at least had enough experience to play competently. Junpei found the bar, and quickly sat down. He felt a little sick to his stomach, but the choices looked so appetizing, he couldn't resist taking a peek at some of the drinks on selection. Junpei's eyes widened, and his hands trembled, but he gulped to recompose himself.

He wasn't going to go too far tonight, not ever. After all, he wasn't a self-destructive deadbeat like his dad.

Once the song had finished, the crowd burst into applause, clapping and cheering. "Michel~! Michel~! Michel~!"

The singer, a man around his early 30's who, thanks to his well done makeup, looked at least ten years younger, put a hand on his chin, admiring the attention.

"Come on baby! Gaze upon the glorious Michel himself, and let your imaginations run wild! All you lovely ladies out there are already locked in a cage… a cage they call love! HOOOOOO~!"

Junpei only sneered at the singer's narcissistic pandering, "Bite me."

He then put his elbow on the barstool, and gave a cheesy grin when the bartender glanced at him. "I'll have a beer, please!" he grinned.

The bartender nodded, and soon, Junpei had a cold beer in his hands. He licked his lips as he imagined the cold brew going down his throat, how refreshed he'd feel after it had gone down his systems. He told himself he'd only have one more beer, and then he'd go home.

Once that initial brew passed down his throat, Junpei felt bliss, and soon he found himself guzzling more and more down as the band played their set. He soon lost count, and found himself feeling a lot happier and at peace with himself then he was before he hit up the club. But no way was he an alcoholic. It was just a pleasant night.

The music died down, but the music was always dead to Junpei. He gave a lopsided smile at the glass in his hand, and tilted his head back, adjusting the hilt of his cap. Junpei felt good, secure in his happiness, and nothing was going to take that away from him. Junpei glanced over at the barkeep, who gave him a worried frown.

"Are you alright? Shouldn't you be getting home now?"

Junpei shrugged, he personally felt he was fine. The capped man laid back on his seat, and he felt the seat begin to tip over, but he kept his balance. He grinned loosely at the bartender after the little slipup, "Dun worry, man! I'm fineeeee~!"

The bartender cocked an eyebrow, "You don't look so good to me."

He was about to respond again to the bartender (Junpei knew he wasn't that drunk anyway, why was this bartender so concerned?), when he suddenly heard hyena-like laughing coming from the other side of the bar. The laughter came loud and heavy, and Junpei turned his sights over to a group of young males. They all looked like frequent club goers, beers in hand, laughing and pointing at… _him._

Junpei scowled, feeling anger rise in his intoxicated mind. "'ey, whus so funny?" Junpei said, his tone slurring slightly, somehow the club goers thought it was hilarious, as they laughed harder. The way they pointed at him made him feel like he was the butt of the joke, the inferior one like always, and he didn't like it at all.

One beanie-wearing club goer slapped his blonde-haired partner on the back, "You're so totally wasted, dude!"

The blonde-haired clubber was restraining full blown laughter, "Pfft! Yeah!"

That pricked something within Junpei. He was happy and free, but now with these assholes laughing at him, mocking him, his thoughts flickered back to that drunken deadbeat of a father, always with a bottle in his hand, never seeking to improve his life… and there was no way he was ever like that.

He moaned to himself, and then stared right at the clubbers with wide, red eyes, his brows furrowed angrily, "So, guys like these are the reason I helped save the world, right…?" lamented Junpei, half to himself, and half to the clubbers.

It definitely caught their ear, as they stood up from their chairs. The clubbers stared at Junpei, and looked at each other, before they burst into mocking, disdainful laughter. "Save the world?! Yeah, this guy's a couple cans short of a six pack!"

Junpei took a sharp inhale, his eyes flaring up with rage. Yeah, he knew nobody besides S.E.E.S. themselves would know about Nyx, the Fall, Tartarus and the Dark Hour, but the way they sneered and laughed at him like that really pissed him off. His fists tightened, his knuckles got whiter, and he found himself rising off his chair.

He couldn't stand this. He hated this. His head was starting to hurt, his ears were ringing, and he wasn't going to let anyone laugh at him to ruin the night. Once he went up to the three clubbers, the beanie clubber smirked loosely at Junpei, "So, what'cha gonna do?"

"I'll show you what I'll do!" Junpei immediately pushed the beanie clubber down to the ground, and would have followed up had the blonde clubber not got to him first. A fist went flying at Junpei's face, but instincts honed from combating Shadows allowed Junpei to weave away, but his legs gave out, his vision began to spin faster then before, and he went sprawling onto the floor.

The clubbers burst into laughter there, and the three ganged back up, snarling. "Let's kick this loser's ass!" yelled a clubber with dark green hair.

_Loser_. Hearing that word with all the disdain written all over it, Junpei's white fists tightened, and the angry, venomous feeling grew inside him. He wasn't a loser, in fact, it was these punks who were the losers. Junpei tried to stand up, but his knees began to wobble, and whenever he put a foot down on the floor, he almost collapsed down to his back.

The clubbers kept laughing at him, and began to approach the grounded Junpei. People were starting to turn, and the bartender was ready to act, making Junpei feel even more awful. He was being stared at and scrutinized by random strangers… deep down, he was glad none of his friends could see him like this.

He whispered to himself, "You really did it this time, huh, Junpei…?" in a hushed, sad tone, "Well, looks like I gotta roll up the sleeves…."

"Hey! What the hell's goin' on?"

The clubbers looked over, then paled seeing the tall, intimidating figure walk towards the bar. His shadow, highlighted by the strobing lights, hovered over the clubbers, who smiled nervously. "Er, um, we're gonna go now!"

When Junpei looked over to his savior, he saw the flamboyant, narcissistic singer who, just a few minutes back or something, was on stage. His blue lips were crossed into a deep, angry frown, and he gestured to his bandmates, who followed the clubbers.

Junpei dazedly looked over to see the band approach the clubbers, but he lost track of the following argument, as he felt himself be pulled to his feet by the tall man.

"You look completely out of it… seriously, that was freakin' stupid! Getting wasted like that and picking a fight like that!"

Another burst of anger hit Junpei. Who the hell did this guy think he was, criticizing him like that? He began to struggle away from the flamboyant man's arms, and pulled his arm back, throwing a punch towards his chest. The singer blocked his fist though, and put his arms around his shoulder, leaving Junpei only able to throw himself about.

"Eikichi!" cried a female voice. Junpei, still struggling, barely noticed a woman with dark purple hair approach the blue-haired man, apparently named Eikichi. She was trim, and rather pretty, but Junpei's thoughts and mind were too numb to figure anything to say.

Eikichi snarled at Junpei, and hoisted him up, "You saw all that? This bro definitely needs some help."

The next thing Junpei knew, he was being dragged out of the club. His half-closed eyes barely noticed the change in surroundings, as the powerful lights and blaring music of Club Escapade transformed into the quiet, soothing surroundings of Pawlounia Mall. Junpei didn't even notice where he was going, as his head throbbed.

He felt his butt find concrete, and Eikichi adjusted him so he was lying back against the Pawlounia Mall main fountain. Junpei saw the singer look over to the woman, sharing concerned looks.

"Miyabi, this guy's drunk outta his mind!" lamented the singer, frowning gravely, "Stay with him, I'll go fetch some water!"

Junpei could barely see anything through his blurring vision, but he could make out the outline of Miyabi's slender face, concern drawn over her face. He couldn't believe it. He had gotten more drunk then he ever did before, and he ended up making an ass out of himself. If he was lucky, then it may just be passed down as an unfortunate bar brawl, but….

He didn't want to think about what could happen. So when Eikichi came back with a bottle of water, Junpei silently took it, let it go down his gullet, and nodded his thanks. Eikichi looked at him with disappointment, but this stranger showing that hurt far less than the thought of someone like Yukari, or Fuuka, or Aigis, or even _him_ finding out about his drinking.

Eikichi stood right up, and looked over to the exit of Paulownia Mall, shrugging his built shoulders, "Well, we gotta go. We can wait for you to call a friend or somethin', but the shop's gotta open early tomorrow and…."

Junpei was the next to speak, and while the water was starting to take effect, the world was still whirling about him, and he took quite a while to get his head into gear to form a complete sentence. "N… No… it's okay dude… … I mean, I think I can get home… my apartment's only a few minutes away anyway…."

"I dunno, you got pretty damn smashed out there," muttered the singer, "I really don't think it's a good idea…."

"Eikichi… if he's able to get home by himself, then let him! Really, you're more caring then you act…" Miyabi said, a playful tone in her voice. Eikichi's eyes opened wide in shock, but he soon recomposed himself, and even grinned.

"Heh! When you're as beautiful as me, Michel, you ought to act cold and hard-to-get! Hooo~!" but after that little crack, Eikichi's features got more serious, "But… well, one of us has gotta walk him home…."

Junpei had enough, and managed to sit up and get to his feet. He was very grateful for the two looking out for him, he felt he could do without their help now. He grinned goofily, and managed to stand up straight, trying his hardest not to wobble even slightly on his rather jittery legs, "Dudes… I'm fine. See? I can walk."

He demonstrated this by taking a few steps forward, then turning around and stepping back towards the couple. In truth, while he was able to stand and walk, he felt like he could collapse at any moment, especially once he got to his apartment.

While Miyabi smiled at him, Eikichi nodded, and grinned cockily at him, "Heh! Showing your true colors as a man… I like that!" then, he looked over to Miyabi, raised his eyebrows, and coyly smiled at Junpei, "Looks like we're out. Catch ya on the flipside!"

Junpei bowed his head goodbye, but once they were gone, the gravest frown settled on his face. He only intended a beer, and ended up going that far… even losing his temper. He sighed, and began the walk home, all while trying to keep his balance, and temper his throbbing forehead.

No way was he becoming his father though. Tonight was just a screw up. That was all it was.

Junpei had stumbled back to his apartment, and he heard Koromaru's miserable whines, but his ears were ringing so he barely noticed them. He put his cap on the shelf, didn't even bother taking his clothes off, went to his couch and laid on top of it, soon falling asleep.

Tonight was a mistake… just a mistake….


	9. Flashback: Last Christmas

**Port Flashback – Last Christmas**

**Author Note: Weee I have writer's block so enjoy two more flashbacks.**

_**December 24**__**th**__**, 2009**_

Under the bright lights of Pawlounia Mall, two young people held each other's hand as they walked towards their dorm. A girl clad in a pink cardigan, with a red bowtie, and a boy dressed in the outfit of Gekkoukan High School, his headphones dangling from his shoulders, his prominent blue hair mixing in with his dark uniform.

They smiled and laughed, cracking small jokes and quips with each other. It had been a wonderful Christmas Eve for both of them, and the proof for Yukari was in a brand bag, dangling from her right shoulder. While she had given Minato a slice of chocolate cake, he had told her it was delicious.

She knew he wasn't lying. She had put a lot of effort and practice into making a cake for him… shame Junpei had to take it and give some slices to Ken. But at least he enjoyed that piece, and she knew that when they ended the Dark Hour mess, she would make him another chocolate cake.

The two soon reached the Iwatodai dorm, right before curfew. Yukari, for the first time in what felt like years, almost bounced in her step. She liked going out with her friends, but hanging out with Minato, seeing his face, his smile, and feeling his kindness… the very thought made her heart jitter, and her cheeks heat up.

Minato entered the dorm, and gestured for her to enter, "Ladies first," he said charmingly, in that soft voice of his. Yukari smirked, in fact charmed.

"Wow, I never thought you were so chivalrous!" quipped Yukari.

Minato only turned back and smiled, "You should wait and see what I have for you."

And with that, a genuine smile fell on the girl's face, "Really now? Well… I hope it charms the pants off me!" upon realizing what she said, Yukari blanched, and she looked away, her face going red, "N-Not in that way."

The blue-haired boy bit his lip, chuckling nervously, "Y-Yeah, you could say that."

The two walked past the dorm's lounge, where they saw Junpei, Ken, Koromaru and Akihiko sat on the couches, Junpei's PlayStation 3 hooked up to what looked like a new TV, an HD one (Yukari theorized it was a Christmas present for S.E.E.S. from Mitsuru, since she was the only member rich enough to splurge on that luxury).

Junpei and Ken were nose deep in what looked like a fighting game, while Akihiko sat there, looking bored out of his skull.

"How can you play this sort of stuff, when we do it all the time in Tartarus?" said the confused boxer. Junpei shot him a confused look.

"Akihiko-san, you need to get educated on video games! Sure, it's like Tartarus, but it's a lot less stressful!" the capped boy grinned. Yukari rolled her eyes at his idiotic remarks, but couldn't help but admire his cheerful spirit.

"Junpei, Akihiko-senpai doesn't need his brains numbed by video games," scoffed the girl. Minato chuckled, and Junpei spun around to see Yukari, his jaw dropping.

"Says the girl who plays Mario Kart with her boyfriend~" the capped boy grinned. Then Ken scored a 44-hit combo in the fighting game, perfecting Junpei.

"Haha, I won, Junpei-san!" Ken said with a smile. He looked over to Akihiko, who gave him a thumbs up.

Koromaru barked in joy, as Junpei sank to his chair in defeat. Minato then grabbed Yukari's hand once again, causing a heat to run to her face, and they advanced up the stairs, "Come on, Yukari, let's leave the guys. I wanna show you your presents."

Yukari's eyes widened, "Presents?"

Minato turned to her, and nodded, "Yeah. It's in my dorm room… huh, bet you've never seen it. I've seen your dorm room all the time, you know, when we…" he zoned out, and his cheeks went red, before he broke into a nervous chuckle, "um, let's go."

The next thing she knew, Minato had opened his door, and he gestured over to his room. It was neatly organized, with a study table, a closet, a bed, and a few other things. She noticed the small table near the back, with some cushions to kneel on, and couldn't help but beam.

"It's not much, but it's home," shrugged the blue-haired boy. She stepped into his room alongside him, removing her loafers while he removed his shoes, and the two sat down on the cushions.

The two gazed into each other's eyes, milky brown finding clear grey, a silent heat hazing up the room. Just staring at his handsome features and that warm, soft smile of his made Yukari's face blaze up in heat, and her heart start beating. Her manicured nails dug into the cushion, what she would do to feel his hand in hers right now.

Minato then stood up, and retrieved a plastic bag, "Well, remember that one date, and I gave you a Jack Frost doll? I decided to get this rare new Jack Frost doll, it was a bit expensive, but…."

She knew what he was talking about, and she gasped, her eyes widening in sheer shock, "No… you didn't…."

And with that, a wide grin just split on Minato's face, "Yep! I bought the Raiho doll!" with that, he took out the Jack Frost doll, dressed up as Raidou Kuzunoha, with the hat and the black, decorative coat. It was adorable already, and Yukari couldn't resist grinning at the present.

It was so cute, and Minato had gone into all that trouble just to get it for her.

"Wow… Minato-kun…" she gasped, reverting back to the honorific in her daze. She took the Raiho doll from him, and true to what the ads said, when she squeezed the plush, she heard a digitized 'Hee-ho!' come from Raiho. Hearing that, she hugged it tighter, and grinned so widely at Minato.

But he wasn't done yet.

"Hey," Minato whispered to Yukari. She spun slightly on her cushion, and crossed her stocking-clad legs, watching the blue-haired boy rummage around a plastic bag.

"Well, whaddya have there, Minato?" asked Yukari, rather curious as to what Minato had. Was it another surprise? She squeezed the Raiho doll in her arms, a warm feeling coming from hearing the stuffed doll shout, 'Hee-ho!' and smiled at the second gift she got on this wonderful night.

She gasped when Minato brought out a cake covered in pink frosting, with sugar flowers decorating the exterior, and white, swirly frosting decorating the sides. Minato placed the cake on the table, letting her take in the wonderfully designed cake, and when he gazed back at her eyes, his cheeks flushed a dark pink, and he grinned at her.

She grinned back at him, and placed her hands on the table, "Jeez… you're spoiling me, huh? You don't have to go all that way just cuz I'm your girlfriend."

Minato just shyly shrugged, "I did it because I love you," he bashfully said. The reply was enough for their faces to go completely red, and both teenagers giggled.

But it made Yukari very, very happy, not that she'd admit it.

The boy brought out a knife as well, and knelt down on his cushion, placing the knife down on the pastry, cutting a slice. He took a small tissue, and gave the slice to Yukari, who gladly took it. He then looked deep into her eyes, that brilliant gray shining with warmth.

"I got it just for you, Yukari..."

"Thanks so much, Minato…" she said. Although she kept an eye out on what she ate, so to keep her waistline in control, for once this wouldn't be so bad (plus the cake wasn't big at all).

He paused, and looked deep into her eyes, with that serious look he usually wore on Tartarus. She knew then that he was genuine in what he was going to say, "Because, I want to promise you something. I know this sounds really, really, really lame and childish of me, but I want to be with you when we're seniors. And to be with you when we graduate, and when we go to college."

Minato paused, and sighed, smiling dreamily at her, "It's funny… before I came back to Iwatodai, I didn't believe in high school sweethearts, or that I'd fall in love. But… I just found that girl right here. The girl I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love you, Yukari."

Yukari could do nothing but blush and look down awkwardly, her face scorched with red, as her arms squeezed the Raiho doll tighter still. This wonderful, magical person was so kind to her, endured all her temper tantrums and mood swings, and all her hostility, and reached out beneath to her, because he cared about her.

To think she would get so worried over him talking to Fuuka, or to that Fushimi girl. Yukari wanted to cry, but she held in her tears, instead letting the excitement slowly get at her. Her throat seized up, and she let out a shaky breath, unable to hold back on the affection she held for the boy.

"M-Minato..."

Another big smile from Minato was her reward, "No more words, okay? Let's just eat our cake, yeah?"

Yukari took a big bite, the cake was definitely of high quality, and was strawberry too. She let the tantalizing taste crawl down her tastebuds, and the girl sighed, so happy to be alive right now, "This cake is good," she muttered after she swallowed.

Minato just shot her a bemused look, and she gasped, going silent to finish off the rest of her slice.

Soon enough, the entire cake was finished, and Yukari groaned when she realized it, "I'm gonna have to really work that cake off…" she muttered, "maybe in Tartarus or something. Then again…" and with that, she gave a red-faced smile to Minato, "I don't wanna think about Tartarus, not now, not tomorrow."

The boy nodded, and the happy look on his face was something Yukari would cherish forever, "Yeah… me too…."

But, Yukari frowned. She had nothing in return to give him, and he had spoiled her this Christmas. All she gave him was a piece of cake… maybe she should have bought something instead. She frowned and looked down at the table.

"Hey, Yukari, what's wrong?" Minato's voice broke her out of her funk, and she looked up, rather surprised.

"Eh?" she paused, and looked away, biting her lower lip in embarrassment. She felt rather ashamed, in fact, and she grabbed her sleeve, "Well… I dunno… I feel like I've got nothing back to give, and, well, it kinda makes me feel bad…."

Minato only grinned, "Well, I know one thing you can give me."

Yukari was about to ask, when suddenly, it clicked in her head. She got off her cushion, moved up to him, and kissed him gently, her glossy lips pressed against Minato's smooth, soft lips.

Soon, one thing lead to another, and the two found themselves without clothing, under the sheets of his bed, their lips searching each other's bodies around, their skin seeking each other's bodies.

Before they went into a night of passion, as Minato dotted her collar with butterfly kisses, he grinned sheepishly at her, "You know, Yukari Arisato doesn't sound so bad…."

Yukari snorted, and smiled, pinching his cheek as she moaned to his lips on her skin, "Maybe in a few years~"

The two spent a wonderful evening in his bedroom, completing their Christmas Eve. And they drifted off in each other's arms, awaiting the new days… together….

* * *

_**July 11**__**th**__**, 2013**_

Yukari found her eyes snapping open, in a much different room… and, judging by the scent, her own place.

Her eyes snapped back to reality. She raised her back off her bed and whipped the covers off, stretching her long legs and arms as she let out a big yawn. While she moved to the bathroom, she tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes, and for once, she felt serene… peaceful… because she had a dream of a wonderful memory.

Then her stomach lurched. No longer was she the teenage girl of 17. She was an older Yukari Takeba, 20 years old, and in a few months, she'd be 21.

She had tried to distract herself through a shower, putting on makeup and getting dressed in her usual summer ensemble of a pink tanktop, jeans, and sandals. As she snapped her sandals on, retrieved her handbag and opened the door to the warm sunshine, she suddenly gasped, and felt the same guilt and heartbreak she felt from last night. Yukari frowned, it wasn't usual that she had a dream about _him_. Especially a dream of a memory.

It made her so weak. She made a real promise, didn't she? To live her life to the fullest, to make sure Minato didn't have to suffer. And yet, she felt like deep down, she just might be betraying that promise.

"Why am I still thinking about him? I just… I need to stop. I got a job. A future. I can't just be living in the past because I was happier."

She walked out of her apartment, and as she locked up, she leaned back on the door, looking up sadly at the blue sky, the world that they had protected and saved, thanks to _him_.

"Am I wrong for taking refuge in my memories?"

* * *

_**August 15**__**th**__**, 2010**_

The Naganaki Summer Festival… last year, Junpei had gone with Kenji, but this year, after all that happened, he had a very special friend with him.

He could remember her vividly decorated yukata, a white thing with a pink floral pattern painted around the sleeves and chest area, and her geta clog sandals had red straps to finish the theme. He remembered her smile, her cheeriness, and her happiness during that magical night.

"Hey, Junpei, what mask should we get, ey~?" Yukari's perky voice rang, and Junpei looked over the mask selection. He saw a Featherman mask, Black Condor to be precise, and grinned. He also saw a fox mask, who seemed to peer into his mind with its stare… somehow, Junpei felt a desire to buy the mask.

As if the fox mask wanted all his yen.

Yukari stepped back a little, her geta clacking against the cobberstone, "H-Hey, Junpei, why're you lookin' at that fox mask for?" the girl looked at the mask, and her eyes widened… Junpei managed to break his gaze from the mask long enough to see Yukari staring at it with raised eyebrows, "Ya know… it's like it wants all my yen."

The capped boy gently nudged Yukari on the shoulder, and she shook her head, like she was coming out of a trance, "Come on, Yuka-tan. Let's go," he said with an infectious grin, "don't wanna spend all night staring at masks, we got a lotta stuff to do!"

Yukari smiled back, and turned over, "Yeah. But grab a Featherman mask for Ken-kun instead. You know he likes that stuff, even though he says he doesn't."

Junpei's grin got wider, that kid really needed to wind down some, especially with Akihiko gone, "That I'll do, Yuka-tan!" he grinned. He picked up a Red Swan mask, bought it, and walked over with Yukari to the next stall in the festival.

Junpei took all the sights and sounds in. The cheering, the enka music, the clacks, the yukatas, the rich smell of food, and when he looked over to Yukari, seeing that happy smile perched right on her face, he was glad. He knew he did the right thing, giving her a hand to help her heal from the horrors of their days as part of the S.E.E.S..

Of course, he needed to heal, too, but still, they both were happy.

Yukari only looked ahead to the takoyaki stall, eyes brimming, "Come on, Junpei, let's go grab some food!"

At that point he couldn't resist teasing her, "But Yuka-tan! You don't wanna get fat, right?" even if it meant a geta to his toes (which hurt even though he was wearing sneakers), her flustered, snarling reaction was worth it.

"This won't make me fat, Stupei!" she slammed a foot to the ground, and stood up straight. How she did it in those sandals, he didn't know. He simply grinned widely at her.

"Hehe! This hunk knows where all those bourbons go~" teased Junpei, as he stared at her thigh area, hidden by the sash and lower half of the yukata. Yukari crossed her knees and a faint pink came onto her cheeks, that same angry scowl on her face.

"S-Stop it! God, you really are an idiot!" Yukari yelled, before she turned tail and began walking to the takoyaki stall on her own.

Junpei only followed her, grinning widely, "Eh, she'll calm down."

An hour later, the two were leaving the festival, going down the staircase, the two had decided to go walking to their dorms. Yukari said she could handle walking in her geta, so Junpei shrugged it off, but he couldn't resist his usual foxy grin.

"Yuka-tan, you should totally give me a buzz if ya want a piggyback or something," he told her as they continued walking, sneakers and geta against concrete.

She scoffed with a playful smirk, "From you? Pfft!"

Junpei only rolled his eyes, man, that snark of hers. But really, tonight had been a good night, he felt it when he woke up in the morning, and he definitely enjoyed every second of the festival, with Yukari. He felt healed.

So when they arrived at their new dorms, ready to part ways for the night, Yukari had halted. Junpei had stepped past her, so he turned around, "Yuka-tan, somethin' wrong?" he teased, "Ya feet hurtin' too much?"

Yukari shook her head, and actually grinned at him, "Nah, nothin' like that. I just wanted to say… I had a really good time tonight, Junpei. Thank you so much."

To hear that made him feel good, that he could make one of his friends happy. Junpei only shook his head, and put a hand to his cap, "Dude, it's all cool. It was real fun as well, I'm glad we got to go together. Then again, we've done a lot together this summer break, huh?"

Yukari paused, and a melancholic expression crossed her face, "Yeah… we have been, huh? We've been seeing each other for the past few months, huh?"

Junpei could feel a tension between him and Yukari. He was happy enough with her, but she was a very attractive young woman, and Junpei knew he wasn't on her league. But, he did like seeing her, at school or in their free time, and he felt his relationship with her grow closer and closer throughout the last few months.

"Yuka-tan, I mean… what's wrong?" he asked, he knew something was troubling the brunette.

Yukari's face went red, and she looked down at her feet, "Um, I kinda feel a bit guilty about this, going on dates with you an' all… 'cause, you know… Minato…"

Truth be told, Junpei did feel rather guilty too. The idea that he was 'stealing Minato's woman' was a disgusting thought, as he really did like Yukari as a friend, and several times in high school, had wondered if he had feelings for her. And only now, did he even feel he could have a chance with her.

He still wondered if, deep down, he was still jealous of Minato and really was trying to take the departed blue-haired boy's girlfriend. He wasn't jealous anymore, but still, the thought prevailed.

Pushing that train of thought away, Junpei looked away from her, "Well… Yukari… yeah, I said it… ever since we started seeing each other, I've been feeling guilty too. I mean… I think Chidori would want me to be happy, you know? And, maybe I'm wrong, but I think Minato wants you to be happy, too."

She smiled sadly, but it was a smile regardless, "Yeah… yes, I agree, Junpei."

And so, Yukari pursed her lips, her cheeks started to redden up, and if by instinct, Junpei's head started to get closer to hers.

"Y-Yuka-tan…" Junpei gasped, his arms hunched up and his eyes kept widening, was this really happening? Sure, he had been seeing Yukari for a few months, but they were never this serious. Junpei snickered inside over how everyone would react to the fact that he, the class clown of 3-D, was dating Yukari Takeba.

Her pink, glossed lips came closer to his, and Junpei's mouth began to drop, his lips parting, as a rare blush crossed over his cheeks. He moved his head a little closer to hers, bracing his lips for a kiss….

* * *

_**July 11**__**th**__**, 2013**_

Then, he woke up to a flash of sunlight. And with a throbbing headache at that too, "Argh… god…" moaned the disorientated Junpei, "what the hell happened last night?"

He held his head, trying to keep his thoughts in one piece, as his vision blurred in-and-out. He could make out Koromaru's whimpers, and the bright sun shining down through the open blinds. He tried to perch himself up, but his head throbbed in pain, forcing him to collapse onto the couch again.

Junpei thought he was supposed to be somewhere today, but he just couldn't remember. The lanky young man sank into his couch, and groaned. He had been so happy when he had that dream of him and Yukari together, back in senior year. Because back then, he really was happy.

Now, he tried to smile, but he couldn't help but wonder where his life was going. And the thought only depressed him more and more with each day passing.

He really should have joined the Shadow Operatives fulltime when he had the chance.

Then, Junpei managed to look up, and saw his Junes apron hung over his doorknob.

Panic gripped his entire system at that point.


	10. JunesMania

**Port 7: JunesMania**

_In this chapter: JunesCon antics._

* * *

_**"I-IIIIIII GO OUTTT AND LOVE GETTING WASTED AND HAMMERED AN GET L ID ALL DA B ITCHES CAN' ANDLE J UUUUUUUUUUU NEEEEEEESSS~"**_

A beat dropped down, and the repeated whine of synthesizers filled the air of the open field, as stalls advertising Junes opened up. The JunesCon was on full swing. Yosuke had arrived with Teddie and his father, and when he heard the slamming synths, his face fell to a flat.

"I freakin' hate dubstep."

Teddie, dressed in that goofy bear costume, gave him a look as if he were crazy, gasping, "Yosuke! You don't like this music?! Hmph! Nickelback must be poisoning that brain of yours!"

"That's not true!" shouted a bristled Yosuke, "Everyone would wanna listen to Nickelback instead of this crap!"

A group of random bystanders, just coincidentally walking past the three, shouted out, "Nah, we'd rather listen to this."

Mr. Hanamura grinned triumphantly at Teddie, and simply frowned at Yosuke, "Yosuke, you disappoint me. This is a song made by Junes, for Junes, and I won't let you put on your foreign rock music!"

Yosuke rolled his eyes at his father, and closed his eyes in resignation, "Yeah, Junes this, Junes that…" then, his thoughts flickered over to _her_, and he felt a rush in his heart, a happiness glow within him, because today he could see _her_ again. "Hey Dad… we're gonna have Ms. Junes make her debut, right?"

"Most certainly, my son! The new member of the Junes family, to teach the word that Junes spreads, of family and unity!" Mr. Hanamura said, his eyes sparking with fire, "Ms. Junes will set the chains of Junes alight with her presence!"

The younger Hanamura looked away, trying to hide his reddening cheeks, especially given how his dad would react over him having a crush on Ms. Junes, "Oh… cool. That's great."

"Speaking of Ms. Junes, I've organized a meeting with her, in ten minutes! So, Yosuke, look after Teddie, or else he's getting Inaba's Junes when we go back home!"

There he went again with the threats over Junes. Yosuke knew it wasn't like he was in any rush to inherit Junes anyway, and Teddie had a lot more brand loyalty then he did. Yosuke just grinned, trying not to think about Yukari, and patted Teddie on the back, "Don't worry, Dad. Ted's safe with me!"

He heard a growl come from Teddie, "This bear has lots of things to do at JunesCon! I can look after myself, Yosuke!"

"Dude, I know!" Yosuke grinned, but his eyes didn't. He then looked over to see his father's back facing them, and he walked off to find Yukari. Yosuke then fully grinned at Teddie, "Here's the plan. I'll go find Junpei, and you can do whatever you want. Maybe if you find Aigis or Labrys around, do what you want."

The bear's face lit up like a lightbulb went off in his head, "That's right! Ai-chan and Labby-chan were definitely going today, but first…" he turned around, and gave Yosuke a thumbs up and a wide grin. Yosuke bit his lip, he just knew Teddie had something up his furry sleeve, something no one except the bear himself was going to like, "I got a special surprise for everyone!"

* * *

Having separated from Teddie, Yosuke could finally breeze through the stalls, none catching his eye in particular. It was the usual fare, although he noticed most people were throwing glances over at the posters, which read, 'Ms. Junes, coming today!' rather than paying any genuine interest in Junes.

Yosuke grunted, rolling his eyes. Knowing his father, he probably didn't care, as long as Ms. Junes became a hit. Then again, JunesCon was on the cards for a while, with the higher-ups apparently hoping to cash in on Junes' Inaba impact, and make the same kind of impact on Tatsumi Port Island.

With Ms. Junes, that just might be possible. Yosuke grunted, and smiled to himself. "Sex sells, after all," he said to himself.

As he travelled through the stalls, Yosuke heard the stuttering comebacks of an uncouth voice, "H-Hey man, I'm sorry, okay? I'll work nightshift to pay back!"

Yosuke turned the corner to see a manager, an older man of average height with graying black hair, pointing sternly at Junpei, who looked flustered and caught.

"Iori, you were late! I told you to be here on 8 sharp, and it's 9 already! What were you doing!?"

"Ah, sorry man, I kinda got a bit preoccupied…."

"That's a sorry excuse! And have you even showered?! What were you doing all night, drinking alcohol?!"

Junpei's eyes popped wide open, and he sharply inhaled. He shook his head though, "N-No man! I ain't like that! I stay off the stuff!" a cheesy grin spread across the man's face, but the manager gave him an even more disapproving look.

"And from the report on you from yesterday, you were described as mediocre. You did the work, but often played around with two people in particular, one of them Yusuke Hanamura's son, take in mind the son of the man who _hired_ you in the first place, and the other a young woman with short brown hair. At Junes, it's our company policy to work with _all_ customers, not just certain customers in particular!"

"B-But dude, I did the work, right?" said a flustered Junpei.

The manager simply shook his head and muttered to himself, "Iori… I know you're new, but acting like a high school brat isn't going to get you anywhere in this world. I sincerely hope you can make a good impression this time."

And with that, the manager turned on his heels and began walking towards an office, leaving Junpei to hang his head down, dejected and looking defeated.

It was when Yosuke came closer to him that he noticed anger in Junpei's features.

"Who does he think he is, talkin' down to me like that, like he's done anythin' good…" Junpei muttered under his breath. When his eyes met Yosuke's, they went from angry to a false smile. "Oh, hey dude. I was just a little late as all, gotta start going to work on time, hehehe…."

It was nice that Junpei was trying to reassure him, but he saw Junpei was getting a hard time, and frankly, Yosuke didn't like it. "Dude, are you-"

It certainly didn't help when he heard more whispers among the Junes staff.

"I can't believe Iori! He's so lazy!"

"What is up with the new guy? Iori, was it? He's holding us back because he can't bother to put in hard work!"

Yosuke scowled angrily at the murmurs going around between the Junes employees, as heated glares were aimed behind Junpei's back.

"That Iori apparently screwed up stacking the beer section last night. Seriously, this guy's a joke!"

"And he buys beer from here too! You know that docks sales, right?"

"Seriously, what does Hanamura-san see in him? I bet it is because he loiters around with Hanamura-san's son."

"This guy can't be any younger than 20! And he's hanging out with a teenager? How childish!"

Junpei's eyes had narrowed, and his fists were clenching tightly until they were white as sheets. His arms hunched, his posture lurched, and frankly, Yosuke wondered if here and now, he was going to explode. "I ain't like that… I'm just trying here…" Junpei whispered in a quiet voice, "I'm not a joke, never…."

He turned around, showing his back to Yosuke, and the brunette frowned sadly, "Dude, don't worry. You're not a joke."

Junpei suddenly glared at him, causing Yosuke to pull back, "Yeah, I bet you never get the same treatment here, huh?"

Yosuke quickly reacted, rather distressed by Junpei's sudden temper, "What the hell man? I'm just trying to be nice."

"I don't need your sympathy!" yelled Junpei. Then, something changed in his eyes, and he looked down on the floor, rather sadly in fact, "I'm sorry, man. I'm just… things aren't so good for me right now. I just screwed up this morning, and…."

He walked away from Yosuke, a slow, melancholic beat to his step, "…I'm not useless. I'm just trying to get by."

"H-Hey! Junpei!" no matter how loudly he shouted, Yosuke could do nothing but watch his friend slowly walk away towards his work. Yosuke looked down on the floor, frowning sadly, as he leaned against a bench, "…Junpei…."

* * *

When she had arrived, still waiting for Mr. Hanamura or anybody else from Junes to pick her up, Yukari tapped her foot on the ground and sat down by the bench, trying to pass the time. She withdrew her smart phone, and dialed Junpei's number, "Since Junpei works here, maybe he can pick me up…" she deducted.

She pressed the phone to her ear. Nothing but dial tone. Not defeated, Yukari tried again. Another dial tone.

Yukari sighed to herself, as she put her smart phone away into her handbag. "Damn it, Stupei… what's up with you, huh?" she muttered, her frown getting a little sadder, "I hope you're doing fine… you shouldn't have to lose another job."

"Ms. Junes!" suddenly yelled a boisterous male voice, booming around the stand. Yukari looked over, and went wide-eyed when she saw who it was. She grimaced, and shut her eyes in disbelief.

"Oh, not you again, Hanamura-san! And my name's Takeba, not Ms. Junes!"

Indeed, it was Mr. Hanamura, the middle-aged man with the burning glare, the wild brown hair and the Junes blazer, the man who offered her the job she desperately needed, staring right at her. "Junes decides your name now. Anyways! Today at the JunesCon, we are going to introduce Ms. Junes to the world!"

"So… am I gonna just film a commercial or what? I mean, I can… you know, wear that stupid bikini again if you want." Thinking about the last time she tried a photo shoot, and when thinking about how Yosuke got involved, her face peeled into a scowl, "And make sure your son doesn't get involved in this!"

"Oh, we won't do that, Ms. Junes. Oh no," and what gave Yukari the chills was the wide, toothy grin the older man grew on his face, "that won't do for Junes. We will make it a dynamic introduction… we're hosting the Ms. Junes Power Hour, on stage, in an hour!"

Her jaw dropped, and Yukari almost dropped her handbag in surprise, quite flabbergasted by the sudden surprise, "What?! You… stupid old man! I'm not gonna waltz around in a bikini for a bunch of pervy guys! And there's kids, too! I'm not gonna do anything like that in front of kids!"

The look Mr. Hanamura then gave her was a blank stare. "Who said it was going to be a bikini? That was just a photo shoot. This is the real deal! We have a costume and everything!" as he spoke, Mr. Hanamura was obviously quite excited for this, and while his enthusiasm was infectious, Yukari couldn't help but be reminded of Yosuke.

And with that, she groaned.

A few minutes later, inside a dressing room, Yukari was packing her tanktop into a plastic bag they gave her for her clothes, and locked her handbag into a locker. She sighed, and looked at the mirror, seeing her own bitter reflection stare back at her. She raised her eyebrows and tried to lift her glossy lips into a smile, but only raised them to neutrality.

"I honestly can't believe I'm doing this," she told herself. She looked down at the boots beside her feet, white thigh-high boots with an orange tip on the toe and the soles, and then stood up to look at her full reflection. When she stood up, she grimaced at how _stupid_ she looked. "Yeah, I really can't believe I'm doing this… I'm just glad Mitsuru isn't here."

The two-piece costume was a crop top that ended at her ribs, exposing her navel, with the orange logo of Junes printed across the chest area. The lower half were short shorts with a belt around it, while the distance between the short's leggings and the boots would expose her thighs, a tantalizing taste of_ zettai ryouiki_.

She slid the boots onto her feet, and grimaced as she quickly made a few adjustments to the costume to fit. She seriously couldn't believe she was wearing this. Now, she had worn skimpier, but there was something about wearing this sort of costume in front of hundreds, some which included children, that felt very, very wrong to her.

Yukari then sat down, and quickly made some adjustments to her makeup. She applied some lip gloss, smacking her lips to make sure they looked as smooth and tantalizing as possible, adjusted her mascara to highlight her eyelashes, and brushed up her hair. She then looked back at her reflection, and genuinely lit up at the girl that greeted her. Then, she flashed a wide smile, and gave a thumbs up at the mirror.

"Hi! I'm Ms. Junes! Welcome to Junes, where every day is Customer Appreciation Day! I hope you stop by, because Ms. Junes is everyone's friend!"

That thumbs up fell to her side, and she frowned at that point, showing no enthusiasm or energy at all, "What am I doing?"

And what made her stomach lurch was the thought that this was going to be her job, and not only that… what Minato would think if he saw what she was like nowadays. A sick feeling crawled up her throat, but she gulped down and pushed it out of her mind, focusing on her upcoming performance.

"I gotta be brave."

* * *

"Hanamura-kun!"

Yosuke, who had walked over to the front row of the stage, looked around to see Fuuka smiling at him. He looked over her shoulder to see Aigis, Ken and Labrys, and grinned, "Yamagishi-san! Aigis! Labrys! Amada-kun! What are you guys doin' here, huh?"

"Well, I needed to keep an eye on Yukari-chan and Junpei-kun. They're working today, aren't they?" asked Fuuka.

Yosuke nodded: he then looked over to the two robot girls. Labrys spoke up with a grin, "Sis told me this was gonna be fun! I'm havin' a really great time!"

To hear that Labrys had truly enjoyed the convention was enough to bring a smile to everyone's face, especially Yosuke.

Ken, Aigis, Labrys and Fuuka had quickly found themselves near the edge of the stage. The group were going to be among the first to see Yukari's debut, as 'Ms. Junes'. When Yosuke looked over to Labrys, the android had a wide grin crossing her face. Aigis looked up innocently, while Ken simply held a bemused smile.

Fuuka looked rather nervous, "You know… I never thought Yukari-chan would do something like this… but then again, the economy's been rather rough, so she must have felt it was her best opportunity."

"Man, Yukari's gonna totally embarrass herself!" laughed Labrys, "The public humiliation of Yukari Takeba! Hehe!"

Ken shot her a quirked look, "And why are you so happy about it?" asked the teenager, as serious as ever. Yosuke cocked an eyebrow, and smirked at him.

"Come on dude, lighten up!" the boy told Ken, who looked at him once, then turned back.

"Well, I doubt she'll take this well…" the orange-clad teenager muttered. Yosuke had to admit, the boy had a point….

The man up on stage had a fedora on his head, orange sunglasses, and a red jumper on, with brown pants and pointed shoes. Distinctive bright red hair could be spotted, and he held a rather gross smirk on his face. Yosuke thought he had seen his face on TV, at least a decade ago….

"Nyahaha! Welcome to the JunesCon, with yours truly, the greatest TV host in Japan, Hidehiko Uesugi!" the man grinned, looking out at the gathering crowd, "Oh, wow! Looks like this crowd's the biggest Junes' ever had! And it's all thanks to me!"

A familiar voice from behind the curtain growled, "Grrr! Who does he think he is, trying to steal my popularity! I attract ten times the fans he'll ever do, because of my sexy fur!"

"I seriously doubt he's got anything to do with this crowd," Yosuke deadpanned, "I remember this guy too. He hasn't had a good show in years!"

Aigis was the next to step forward. "Indeed," she started with that deadpan voice, "I detect all members of the gathering crowd are here to see Yukari-san, as she will be performing as 'Ms. Junes' for the first time in a few minutes. This man is simply a distraction: a time-waster."

Just after Aigis finished speaking, a man in a yellow cap, with a slightly short stature, came out from the curtain, "Brown, dude! Your time's up! This Takeba chick's comin' up, so take your paycheck so we can get outta here!"

Brown looked over in horror at the man, who also appeared to be in his early 30's, "What?! No way, Mark, not when this _crowd_ is gonna get _excited_!"

And the crowd responded with silence. The locusts could be heard chirping in the summer air. Brown only had a nervous grin, then in response, he reached over to unbutton his shirt.

Suddenly, boos rained down on him, and Brown scowled, redoing the one button he managed to undo, "Your loss! Remember, the name's Hidehiko Uesugi, and you can go on my website to book me. You won't regret hiring Japan's greatest! Also some girl named Ms. Junes or something, I don't care."

The crowd didn't even make a sound, and the man in the yellow hat dragged Brown off stage, leading to Mr. Hanamura, dressed in a Junes blazer, strutted onto the stage. Yosuke audibly facepalmed when he saw the Junes microphone in his hand.

"Hello, Junesians! I am proud to present to this wonderful audience, the first live performance by a very special young lady. She was plucked from obscurity, from a normal life," that statement made Aigis and Fuuka cringe, "and will now be a star! Ladies and gentlemen…."

A stock drumroll began to play, and one man in the crowd yelled, "What the hell is a Junesian!?" as Mr. Hanamura moved to the side. Yosuke looked to the side of the stage, and smiled to see Junpei operating the lighting, and he waved back to Yosuke and the gang.

They waved back, but there was no time to spare as suddenly, orange and yellow lights lit up, and the curtain pulled back to reveal a door, a circular portal which had neon letters spelling out, 'Miss Junes Power Hour'. Smoke began to filter in, the drumroll got louder, seizing everyone's attention.

Yosuke had all his attention, soon enough, he would see Yukari again for the first time today, and as Ms. Junes… his heart seized up, his breath starting to get shakier and shakier.

And Mr. Hanamura could not keep the grin off his face, "And it's time… ladies and gentlemen, Junesites and Junesians, please give a warm welcome to… MISS! JUNES!"

The door opened to a blast of white smoke, and cheesy synths started blaring out of the P.A. system, while an autotuned voice chirped, "Junes~! Junes~!"

The drumbeat picked up, and the bass synths whined and whirled, as a female figure began bouncing to-and-fro. Suddenly, out came Yukari, and, well, the moment her visage became clear, Yosuke's face went bright red, and Fuuka made everyone's thoughts clear with her outburst.

"W-What is Yukari-chan wearing?!"

She spread her arms out wide, and gave a cheesy grin as three dancers, two black-haired young women, and a blonde, blue-eyed woman with flowing long hair and a thick dress, strode in her step.

Yosuke gulped at the rather alluring costume. Yukari was clad in a two-piece, said costume was a crop top with the orange logo of Junes printed across the chest area, curving with her chest. The lower half was a pair of short shorts with a belt around it, and she wore thigh-high boots as well, giving attention to the bare skin between the shorts and the boots.

He knew the performance was going to be a disaster, but he wanted to keep watching. Both for the hilarious trainwreck, and to see Yukari wear such a hot costume.

Mostly the latter, to be honest with himself.

Yukari only lifted the mic up to her lips, and put her free hand on her hips, "Hello, everyone!" she said in a voice way too chirpy and bright, it seemed she made her voice a little more cutesy too, "I'm so glad to be a part of Junes! I'm Ms. Junes, and I'll be improving your Junes experience from today! Don't worry, I won't hurt you, because Ms. Junes is everyone's friend!"

Of course, a part of the crowd had already started to crack. First it was giggling, then as Yukari gave a wide grin and a thumbs up to the crowd, they started to laugh.

Yosuke had to give it to her, she definitely didn't seem fazed. But she did shoot a glare at the back when familiar, hoarse laughter echoed from behind the curtain, soon covering at least 20% of the current laughter. Then she turned back to the crowd, and gave another wide, white grin.

Aigis could say nothing, and Yosuke looked over to the android, trying to hold in laughter and stem a pink flush across his cheeks, "A-Aigis, um…."

The android was speechless, watching only with wide eyes.

Ken too, was also speechless, and for a moment, Yosuke thought he was looking rather flustered. But Ken shook himself back to his senses, and recomposed himself, "I wonder how much this whole show is costing Junes…."

The technopop music continued to whine and whirl, as Yukari bounced across the stage, in sync with her dancers. Yosuke cocked his eyebrows at the blonde dancer in particular, 'she' was really into it. The people could not stop laughing, however. Especially Junpei.

Yukari put the mic to her lips again, and put on that cutesy voice, "Okay, everyone! Put your hands together! Join in the fun!"

Yukari stepped forward, with the three dancers stepping forward as well, and she twirled on her toes, putting a foot forward so her back was to the crowd. She then looked over her shoulder and winked to the crowd, before she spun around again and bounced back a few steps.

"I hope you enjoy this song, like you enjoy Junes products!" Yukari chanted energetically, although now it was obvious to those who looked closely that Yukari was faking her smile, "We're currently having a sale off on milk!"

"I'll show you a sale on _my_ milk!" chanted a young man in the crowd.

Yukari's eyes briefly blazed in rage, but she quickly switched to the Ms. Junes alter ego and giggled girlishly. Yosuke had to admit, she was a pretty good actor not to flip out at that slur.

Aigis and Labrys' eyes narrowed, and they aimed the crowd, looking for the man who said that, but Fuuka put an arm out, "Aigis-chan, Labrys-chan, it's not worth it."

The music then started to really get going, and Yukari began to duck and weave, waving her arm in a slow, snake-like movement, then standing up tall and bouncing up-and-down. The dancers followed her movements, as she swayed her arms, and moved his head to-and-fro.

Then, Yukari began to sing.

"_Give me all your Junes, boy  
50% off today for all products with soy  
My mind is going black because it's so coy~"_

Her eyes widened at the horrible lyrics, and more laughter erupted, while Junpei's laughter, now rough and coarse from lack of oxygen, got louder still. Yukari briefly sneered in embarrassment, then spun around with her bouncy movements, her chest visibly moving a little from her dynamic weaving.

And a man then shouted: "Take your top off!"

There was a storm of rage going past Yukari's face, and she actually almost flipped. Yosuke even looked back angrily, and would have tried to attack the guy had the security not landed on him instead. "To hell with him!" Yosuke shouted.

But Yukari quickly calmed down, thanks to the blonde dancer patting her on the shoulder and smiling widely. Another smile later, she winked and began to sing again.

"_Oh my God  
I'm heartly sorry for having overcharged  
And I detest rival chain stores  
Because I dread the scary competition  
And the pain of being shaded on Twitter~"_

The blonde dancer was weaving and throwing her hands past her face, smiling like a firework. Yukari tapped her boots against the floor, and bounced as she sung the last few lyrics.

"_But most of all because I love Junes  
And I want so badly to be a true Junesian~"_

While laughter kept rolling around the crowd, people were actually starting to cheer, and Yosuke also felt himself get really into it, watching her bounce and sway like that. And to sweeten the deal, some young children were bouncing up and down, punching the air.

"You're awesome, Ms. Junes!" the kids shouted, squealing in joy. Yukari actually seemed to light up, and she smiled directly at those children.

The smile, combined with her swaying movements, really made her look out-of-this-world to Yosuke. His face was going red, he didn't care if anybody saw him. This was magic, if also hilarious, but the way her body curved, her bottom rolled, and her face shone, it made his heart accelerate, and his blood rush to his face.

God, did he want Yukari right now.

As the song was over and the music began to die down, Yukari did a jumping jack split, spun around and spread her arms wide, as strobe lights fired off, and neon lights flashed, 'MISS JUNES'. She stayed in that pose, like she was awaiting everyone's final reaction….

And then, the entire crowd burst into applause, cheers and hollers. While there were some laughter still, the crowd had been satisfied, and Yosuke looked around him to see people, from kids and adults alike, cheering for Yukari. He looked back up to Yukari, who seemed actually rather surprised by the positive reception she was getting.

"MISS JUNES! MISS JUNES! MISS JUNES!"

The kids were especially loud. Yosuke grinned widely, mostly to himself, "Well Dad, looks like your plan backfired. And Teddie's got a new rival by the looks of it, too!"

Yukari, who by now was wearing a beaming smile, could do nothing but awkwardly bow. She took the mic to her hand, and waved to the audience, "Thank you! Thank you! Remember to stop by and purchase Junes products, and even buy the first Ms. Junes merchandise! If you buy a Ms. Junes t-shirt, you get a Teddie plush, free!"

When she left for the backstage, the fans wouldn't stop cheering, they couldn't stop cheering. Yosuke wasn't one to follow mainstream celebrities, unless they were hot or he liked their stuff, but he knew Yukari had definitely made a mark today.

If only in the dumbest convention in the world.

Aigis and Labrys were jawdropped, while Labrys tried to grin, Ken was wide-eyed, and Fuuka… well, Fuuka's eyes were slightly narrowed, and her shoulders began to shake, "Yukari-chan…."

What got Yosuke was that Fuuka seemed to be _glaring_ at Yukari. There was something up about that.


	11. Heartbeat, Heartbreak

**Port 8: Heartbeat, Heartbreak**

_In this chapter: Everything goes to hell._

* * *

He knew he shouldn't do it. But he didn't care. He had another rough day, and now he just wanted to kick back and find a way to forget his troubles. But, he was still stuck at work, and he would have to pick up Yukari after she was done changing, after that stupid, if really fucking funny, Ms. Junes show.

Junpei's eyes scrolled around his surroundings, and when the coast was clear, he opened the fridge, spotting the bottles with Teddie's face on it: Bear Beer. He quickly took two bottles, put some yen where they were, and ran off to hide in storage.

He knew from experience that there were some places management would never search.

"I shouldn't be doin' this…" he told himself, but once he heard that hiss from popping off the cap, he quickly pressed the bottle's nose to his lips and tipped back, letting the alcohol pour down his throat.

He felt happier. Charged. Junpei kept throwing back, and thought about how the day had been. All day, he had been given crap by pretty much everyone. All they did was complain about how lazy he was, or that he wasn't doing this or that right. He tried his best, and always tried to get along, but nobody was satisfied. Sure, he took a few breaks, but he had done the job.

Not his fault he was only really useful on the battlefield.

Not his fault he had almost died to help protect this world.

He heard Trismegistus echo out, but Junpei felt better with each gulp. How funny, Junes' new employees were among the group that saved the world. Everyone was already in love with Yukari because, no doubt, she was A-grade eye candy, while he was just an employee. He couldn't help things, and besides, at least he didn't have to make an ass out of himself like Yukari did.

He felt a lot happier already.

Junpei soon had polished off the first bottle, quickly dumping it into the bin. He could already feel the stress of the day fading away, and now he felt like he could do anything. Junpei genuinely grinned, and ripped the cap off the second bottle, smashing it down with glee.

The beer itself wasn't the best he'd had, but it was still delectable, and freshening. Junpei quietly walked away, already beginning to feel the buzz. He was happy, now.

Even so, he wasn't a loser, or a drunk.

* * *

The JunesCon was a complete success, and as the sun was slowly setting over the horizon, covering the park in an orange glow, the group had gotten together and waited out for Yukari to arrive.

"That was so stupid!" yelled Yukari as she stepped out of the backstage, now back into her civilian clothes. Yosuke saw her coming forward, and turned his head, trying to stem the blush. Damn, she looked so hot as Ms. Junes, and was just as good-looking as Yukari Takeba. "I mean, what the hell was all that about? And people _liked_ it? Psh!"

Fuuka only had a dainty smile, "I felt you did wonderfully, Yukari-chan. The people really liked you!"

Junpei also had kind words, "Yeah, totally! The kids totally adore you, man. Maybe because ya helped that one kid?" he grinned.

Yukari's face lifted into a small, but genuine smile, complete with gentle eyes, "…Maybe that's the only good thing about it."

Suddenly, Teddie threw his stubby arms into the air in excitement, "Raaawr, Yuka-chan! You sure put on a fine show! I'm gonna love working with the bear-y cute and sexy Ms. Junes! Beats the sausage fest anyday!"

The next thing he got was a heel to the foot from Yukari, the girl staring holes in him, her and Fuuka's faces rather red, "Sausage fest? For a strange bear, you've really got a twisted mind, don't ya?!"

"Yuka-tan, leave the dude alone!" cried Junpei, "He's just got good taste in hot babes!"

Yosuke grinned back at the capped man, "Ted here hits on anyone with two X chromosomes."

"Like you two," cut in Yukari. Yosuke and Junpei shared the same 'deer-in-headlights' look in return.

At that point, with the bear flailing around in pain, shouting how his Yuka-chan 'gave him a sore paw', Labrys was awkwardly laughing it off, while Ken was not amused, "I don't see how that's any funny, Teddie."

Teddie looked rather cross at Ken, but the entire conversation the new gang were having with the clumsy bear only made Yosuke laugh, "Amada-kun, you're just a kid, man. Chill out and have some fun!"

However, Ken's eyes only widened, and his back straightened. Damn, the kid was tall for his age, "I am _not_ a kid, Hanamura-san."

Yosuke, of course, folded his arms and raised his eyebrow, "You remind me of a friend," his mind travelled back to Naoto at that point, and he smirked, "but, at least she knew when not to be a hardass."

And of course, Teddie took the wrong time to cut in with a comment, "This bear's Teddie senses say you're really compensating for something!"

Aigis' eyes went wide with disbelief, and Junpei chuckled, trying to hold in his grin, while Yukari was clenching her fists and Fuuka looked rather confused and disheartened. Yosuke saw Ken was starting to get angrier, even though he tried to keep his restraint.

"Ken-kun, Hanamura-kun, Teddie-kun, let's not fight…" the green-haired girl pleaded, "You two should leave Ken-kun alone… he's very mature for his age."

"They gotta a point though," Labrys told Ken, "I mean, didn't you totally geek out seeing dem Featherman manga?"

And at that point, the teenager gripped his orange shirt, and he looked down at the floor, "It's nostalgia," so he would claim. Yosuke raised his eyebrows as Ken continued in a soft voice, "it reminds me of the days we had together."

And when he heard manga, Teddie's eyes perked with a strange energy, and he positively beamed. Yosuke felt his chest grip in fear, especially when Teddie looked over at Yukari rather innocently, "Speaking of books! Last night, Yosuke bought a magazine, and Yuka-chan was-"

Before he could get anything else out, Yosuke clapsed a hand over the bear's mouth, leading Yukari, Junpei, Fuuka and Aigis to look at him strangely, then at each other. If Teddie said what he thought he was going to say, then he could die, especially if Yukari found out.

"Yeah, I just bought a magazine, hehe," Yosuke gave a cheesy grin, especially at Yukari, who rolled her eyes. Teddie rolled around and squirmed in his grip, the bear throwing himself around in a futile struggle, "so er, who wants to go get some food?"

"Not me," the first to speak was Ken, who, for his stern and precocious nature, had an almost childlike expression of hurt on his face. He turned his back, and stood up straight, "I'll just go home."

As Ken began to trudge away from the group, both Yukari and Fuuka frowned sadly, and to be fair, the look on the orange-clad boy's face was rather pitiful. Yosuke knew he wasn't too good at reading people like Yu and Rise were, but Ken was definitely in denial, and he really overreacted.

"Ken, man," Labrys said, "I ain't gonna let ya walk home alone. Me 'n' sis will take you home!"

Aigis nodded, but shot a glare to Yosuke and Teddie, "Yosuke-san, Teddie-san, you should apologize to Ken-san immediately."

The blonde android was right, and Yosuke shared a sympathetic glance with Teddie. The two called out to Ken, "I said too much, Amada-kun, I'm sorry!"

And Teddie just cowered, "This bear had laid bare, and is very sorry!"

But Ken didn't even acknowledge them, still walking away. Yosuke looked over to his capped friend, biting his lower lip, his mind going _what do we do Junpei this is really getting awkward._

Luckily, Junpei was a prime icebreaker, and he had a wide, silly grin on his face, "You know what? Fuuka-chan, we should go get some food for our man Ted!" he winked at Teddie, who shared the same gesture.

Fuuka nodded, "I suppose that's a good idea, Junpei-kun!"

"Yay! Free food!" cheered Teddie.

As Junpei and Fuuka went to buy food for Teddie, Ken walking back home, and Aigis and Labrys following him, it was just him and Yukari. And something was gnawing at Yosuke's mind.

He saw a bench nearby and laid back on it, relaxing. He looked over to Yukari, to gesture her to sit down, "Hey, Takeba-san, why're you still here?"

She simply shrugged, and followed him over to the bench, sitting down on the opposite seat. Yosuke's heart suddenly jumped a few beats, seeing her pretty, polished features up close. She had a neutral expression on her face, but to Yosuke, she was cute and hot all the same.

She tapped her nails on the wood, and Yosuke noticed the pink was gone, and it was now a smooth natural color. Like he thought, it fit her well. And when he snuck another glance at her legs, now wishing she was still wearing those short shorts, he also took the moment to gaze at her sandaled feet, noting her toenails were also the same natural color.

Why was he checking her out like that? He groaned to himself… then again, maybe she did take his suggestion of going with natural nails?

He seriously doubted that now.

Yosuke snapped out of his thoughts when he suddenly heard Yukari clear her throat, and he veered up to her bored face, held up by a hand, "What's up with you, Hanamura?"

Yosuke felt light pink on his cheeks, and when he tried to speak up, he started getting flustered and out of breath. His chest seized, his heartbeat increased in tempo, and the boy realized she was starting to drive him crazy.

Being with her alone was enough to give him an energy boost, and to be fair, for the past few days, ever since he met her, Yosuke couldn't stop thinking about that young woman. It was only yesterday that he stopped denying the obvious crush he held on her, but it only made him think of her more.

He could still clearly remember a dream he had of her last night, holding her hand, looking at her face, feeling complete happiness….

"Um, y-you're the new Ms. Junes girl, right?"

An awkward, young voice broke the mold, and Yosuke snapped out of his thoughts and turned his head to see a young boy, who was barely pushing 12. He was looking at Yukari, looking rather sheepish, and took out a piece of paper and a marker. Yukari shot him a bemused expression.

"Yeah. So, whatdya want?"

The boy seemed to be at a loss for words, his face was red and his face was drenched in sweat. He wasn't creepy, in fact he looked rather innocent, if rather bashful, "C-C-Can I… ah… ha…have…."

Yukari actually grinned widely and stood up earnestly with spirit. She beckoned for the boy to give her the paper and marker, "You want an autograph? Well, you shoulda just said so, hehe!" she giggled.

Yosuke couldn't help but smile at the boy's ecstatic reaction, he even jumped on the spot as Yukari signed the paper with a real smile on her face. She gave the paper to the boy, who grinned so widely, it looked like the dimples would stay forever. "Thank you so much!"

The kid walked off, and Yukari waved him goodbye, smiling all the while. And when she turned back, she still had that smile on her face. And it looked absolutely radiant. Yosuke's cheeks went as red as a beetroot, causing him to look away.

But there was something serious on his mind, too.

"So, er… I'm curious… you know how last night, I told you about my adventure? Well… what about you?"

Yukari's smile dropped right down to a sad, frazzled frown, which then narrowed into a cross glare, "Don't even try. I don't want to talk about it."

Every time Yosuke looked at Yukari, he felt a strange mixture of affection, mystery and anger brew inside him. He remembered how they wouldn't tell him a thing for months, and he had had enough of their delaying the inevitable. All they were doing was making him more and more curious, and, to be frank, angrier and angrier. He _knew_ there was a kickass adventure. These guys definitely had one, and why they weren't telling him, he didn't know.

And what was so good about this Minato guy anyway? What it all sounded like to him was that he was a guy that meant a lot to Yukari, Junpei and the other S.E.E.S. members… and whom Yukari couldn't get over.

He breathed in, turning his back away from Yukari, and looked up at the orange sunset sky, his arms sprawled out over the bench. Yosuke then sat up, and looked over at Yukari, a puzzled expression crossing his face.

"Hey, Takeba-san…."

She looked over her shoulder with that same tested frown she had before, "What do you want."

"I mean… I told you about my adventure, right? So, what happened to this Minato guy? Why don't you talk about him? Did he get caught in some drug run or something?"

Suddenly, everything stopped. Hushed breaths filled the hazy air, from both him and the young woman, but the first voice to come forward was Yukari's, shaking in anger.

"What… did you just say?!"

Yosuke turned over to her, wearing a nasty frown, "I said… did he get caught in some drug run or something?"

Yukari got off the bench, and leered right at him, clenching her fists. She was shorter then he was, so he just looked down at her blazing brown eyes. She bit her lip, and her eyes widened, before they narrowed down angrily, "Are you… are you for real?! Are you that stupid?! Pft, knowing you, of course you'd be!"

Yosuke had had it. No matter how nice he tried to be, how accommodating, she always had some nasty word for everyone. His own eyebrows narrowed down, "It's not like I know anything about your precious Minato, anyways! Not since you won't talk about him!"

"You know why? Because you don't deserve to know about him!" Yukari yelled back.

"Oh, yeah, say that to the guy who has a Persona too, and actually _bothered_ to tell you about his adventure! Come on, it couldn't have been _that_ bad!"

Yosuke wondered then if he should have said what he said when he saw a look of pure pain sweep across Yukari's eyes, before diverting back to anger, "You don't deserve to know! Because all you did was jump into TVs, beat up people's 'Shadows' or some crap, and then spent the rest of the year playing hero with that Narukami!"

Her cruel words burrowed right into his heart, drilling a hole in it, with all the pain that entitled. This was the girl he couldn't resist, disregarding his and his friend's suffering, their pain, their bonds. He really wanted to let her ease off, but if she wasn't going to… well, that and her words just made him far too angry.

Yosuke pointed a finger right at her collar, and put his head forward, glaring back at Yukari, "Don't you _ever_ say shit like that, Takeba-san! You've never known what it's like to have you, _you_, your worst fears, your worst traits, the things you could spend your entire life not wanting anyone to know, personified, and showing those ideas and thoughts all for the world to see!"

Yukari rolled her eyes, "Facing your true self, blah blah, yeah, like that'll happen to me."

He couldn't think straight as his anger rose, the way she just haughtily talked down to him with that sneer, just why did she have to be such a bitch on a bad day? "You think that me and my friends were just having fun beating up Shadows, but I tell you, it wasn't fun at all! I told you a lot of things, so I think it's only fair if you told me your side, too! It couldn't have been all bad!"

Yosuke gulped, as angry as he was at Yukari, he did feel a lot towards her, and he couldn't help but feel just a little guilty… then she spoke again, "I bet you never saw the crap we saw. I bet you've never lost anybody important to you! I bet you've lived in a bubble all your life as the manager's son, having everything you wanted, getting to live out your superhero fantasies with your Persona. You know what? I didn't want my Persona! But I knew I had one because of fate!"

Yukari's lips went from a sneer to a sad, confused, tormented parting, "And… after everything… I sometimes wonder what it'd be like if I didn't have one…" and just after that glimpse of vulnerability, the brunette went back to her hostile shell, "but you, Hanamura, I bet are _so_ happy you have one, because anything that happens to you is only a setback!"

Usually, he would be quite sympathetic to her, but after everything she was saying about his adventure? He couldn't hold in his anger, especially after that last comment. He finally pressed his forehead against hers, and such a movement was surprising, she leaned back in surprise.

"You think I had everything good?! I lost someone close to me too, that's why I got a Persona in the first place! I had to see the Yosuke Hanamura I didn't want to accept! I had to see dark sides I never wanted to see! I just want to know what's so important about this Minato guy!"

Yukari only stood her ground, and clenched her fists. While her face screamed rage, her eyes told of a confused, hurt, tired young woman. "You... you wouldn't understand! Someone as selfish, stupid and airheaded as _you_ won't even _know_ of the sacrifice Minato made, not just for us, but for all of you! You wouldn't even be _alive_ if he didn't do what he done. And you... and you just trash him, because you're just jealous is what it is!"

Wait, Minato did what? Yosuke gasped, and he began to feel guilt rupture in the hole of his heart, "W-What?! T-Takeba-san..."

"Yeah, you're jealous, because no matter how hard you try, you'll never amount to anything! Sure, you've got a Persona, but without it, you're just some kid mooching off his dad, even Junpei's more mature then you are!" yelled Yukari.

He was still reeling after hearing that about Minato, but now, Yosuke's emotions were flying as hard as Yukari's had to be. And he knew he was about to explode in rage, "Takeba-san, I... I..."

When Yukari spoke up again, she did an obvious impersonation of him, a poor, mocking impersonation, "Ooooh Takeba-san, I'm so obviously crushing on you though I don't say it, ooooh, Takeba-san." Yukari went back to her usual sassy voice, "People like you are just jealous losers. I can't believe I actually bothered to hang out with you."

Oh, that really did it. Yosuke lurched forward in front of Yukari's face, and her eyes widened in visible shock, "You know what? I'm sick of the way you constantly talk down to me. The first few times we met, I was hitting on you, sure, but I was also trying to be nice, and what do you do? You give me the cold shoulder.

"I tell you, Junpei, Amada-kun and Yamagishi-san about the Midnight Channel, and you _still_ won't open up about your adventure! I mean yeah, I bet you had a shitty time as well, but people die! That's reality! That's _life_!"

Yukari's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Don't you ever, fucking, say, a word about Minato again."

"Then why don't you tell me who he even is?" replied Yosuke, caught up in the heat of the moment, "Or are you too busy throwing a temper tantrum over the smallest things?"

Yukari gasped, and she stepped back. Her head fell down, and she put her head forward, her stare becoming even more heated, "Just shut up! You don't know me! We've known each other for what, a week now?! Get out of my sight!"

Yosuke pressed his head forward too, and the last, snobby words from Yukari sent his anger barreling out of him, in one cold sentence.

"You really are a bitch."

Yukari seemed to pale, her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. She then butted her forehead against his, "What did you just call me!?"

This time, he just crossed his arms, and said in the most deadpan voice he could muster: "A bitch. Because, deep down, you're a shallow, snobby, arrogant, childish bitch."

This time, the woman seemed lost for words. She stared, flabbergasted, Yosuke wondered if she'd come up with something smartass to say, but she had no words. Instead, her face crunched up into a violent snarl, full of anger, and her body tightened. Yet, Yosuke thought he could see tears brimming in the corners, "Why won't you just_ go away!?_"

Yosuke could tell when it was coming, from the way her body tightened. She lifted her knee up, and aimed her heel right at his toes. And he knew from experience with Chie that even a barefooted kick could hurt, so he moved his foot out of the way.

"Wha-?" were the only things Yukari said, and when her heel clashed with the ground, she yelped in pain, launching back with enough momentum that she tripped over and landed onto her back.

"Takeba-san!" Yosuke blanched. He had never meant to let her fall like that, or even get hurt in any way. Yosuke's expression turned to horror, and he leaned to help her. He only frowned when she quickly pushed him away, although her thin arms were stronger then he thought they'd be.

He folded his arms, letting her lie on the ground, sobbing to herself.

"Hanamura, j-just… go away…."

Yukari pulled herself onto her bottom, her pants covered in dirt, and he could see her elbows got a little scratched and bruised from the landing. However, he looked at her, and saw a grimace settled on her face. What alarmed him were the tears in her eyes, and her choking back sobs.

"I… I'm sorry…" Yosuke bleated.

The brunette simply looked away from him, and wouldn't look back, leaving Yosuke to endure that gnawing, hurting feeling grow in his chest, not helped by Yukari's slow, periodical sobs. And to think that Minato had actually died….

"Yuka-tan!"

Yosuke's eyes widened when Junpei's voice roared in concern. When he reared his head, he saw Junpei running up, with Fuuka and Teddie following closely behind.

"Yukari-chan! Did something happen?" the green-haired girl spoke out, her face ruptured with concern, "Hanamura-kun! What happened to her?"

The way Junpei and Fuuka looked at him with concern and curiosity, like they were looking at him like a friend, only made him feel just that much more horrible.

"Yuka-chan's very upset! But this bear won't let her cry!" beamed Teddie, who tried to give Yukari the soda in his hands.

"I don't want it…" was all Yukari could sob out, wiping away at her eyes.

Junpei arched an eyebrow at Teddie, and blinked, kneeling down to Yukari and putting his full attention on her. She looked up to him, and he put his hand on her shoulder, "Yukari, what happened?" asked Junpei. The amount of care in his voice only made Yosuke's throat tighten up.

Oh god, what had he done?

Teddie's arms fell to the side, and he gave a sad frown to the brunette, "Cheer up, Yuka-chan…."

Yukari said nothing. Instead, she got to her feet, and when she looked up, Yosuke felt sick to see her cheeks stained with tears. One fell off her jaw and into the dirt ground, then at that moment, she turned tail and ran off as fast as her feet could carry her, letting out loud sobs all the while. She soon disappeared, and Fuuka looked out with horror written on her face.

"I'll go after Yukari-chan!" she yelled. Yosuke could tell Fuuka was no athlete, but bless her, she tried. That left him, Junpei, and Teddie, and he had a feeling things weren't going to tide over so easily….

* * *

Fuuka ran as fast as she could, and at that point, had wished she had exercised more. Yukari was rather fit, so Fuuka found herself huffing just to keep up with the archer. Her legs ached, and she realized that soon enough, they would be in the streets, where Yukari could disappear into the crowds.

It also didn't help that Fuuka was wearing knee-length boots, and Yukari was wearing strapped sandals, which Fuuka knew would make it less likely for the athletic brunette to trip up. She still tried her best to keep up with Yukari though, even though she began to wheeze. Fuuka was barely on her legs, trying desperately to breathe, but stood up, "Y-Y-Yukari-chan!"

Yukari stopped, and she turned right around to Fuuka, eyes blazing with furious tears. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, obviously trying to pull the tearstains off her face.

"I'm not in the mood, Fuuka!" yelled Yukari. Fuuka's eyebrows narrowed at the snappy remark, and she stood her ground, only continuing to advance towards the brunette

She always had to watch Yukari be loved and admired. She always got someone after her, the same with Aigis, or even Mitsuru. A heated, boiling sensation formed in the bottom of her stomach, and waves of emotion began to roll. Fuuka also felt sick, realizing that she was getting angry.

"Yukari-chan…" Fuuka whispered, surprised at the harshness her voice now held. Yukari pulled her head away, now with a more vulnerable expression on her profile.

"W-What?"

"It is nice to be admired, isn't it, Yukari-chan?" she said, completely deadpan, green eyes staring right at Yukari's milky brown eyes.

The sudden transformation that overtook the brunette's face was almost frightening.

"Admired?! ADMIRED?! Don't pity or try to sympathize with me! You don't even know what it's like to be popular!"

The emotion that pressed down and rolled into Fuuka's head, if she could describe it, was something she thought she'd never have against one of her friends: anger. Yukari always had everything her way. Why couldn't she see that? Everyone had their weak periods, but Fuuka always had to be at the sideline, while Yukari hogged all the attention and praise. Especially in high school.

Especially in adult life.

Yet, what really angered Fuuka about Yukari was her stubbornness. Her explosion at Hanamura was an example of that, the green-haired girl had heard the last parts of the argument, and knew it was about Minato.

"How could you say that, Yukari-chan?! You're trapped in the past! When will you learn that we've moved on! Yes, it's sad what happened to Minato-kun, but you can't act like this every time he's brought up like that! You need to move on! I mean, you're still dressing just the same as you did in high school!"

The brunette's eyes widened momentarily, but then her stare only grew more intense, tears watering her eyes once again, "Shut up, Fuuka!" she yelled, "What would you know!?"

"Why don't you just…" And then, at that point, it all hit Fuuka like a sledgehammer. In her anger, she had said that, and now the guilt gnawed at her. Fuuka looked down at Yukari's feet, her eyes starting to water too, now too ashamed to look at her friend. "Y-Yukari-chan... I'm so sorry...I'm so very sorry...! I didn't mean what I said… please…."

Yukari looked away and let out a sob, her anger gone and replaced with shock and sadness. Before Fuuka could reach out again, Yukari turned tail and ran off, now moving much faster. Fuuka knew now she couldn't catch up to Yukari, and squeezed her eyes shut, letting tears fall down.

"I got angry… I really didn't mean what I said…."

* * *

"Grr, Yosuke! You must have tried to score with Yuka-chan, but you failed, that's why she's running away!" Teddie growled.

Soaked in guilt and anger, Yosuke's eyes fell down to the grass under his feet, and he sighed, "If only it were that simple, Ted."

When he peeled his eyes back up, he saw Aigis, Labrys and Junpei staring at him, but what got him worried was the narrowed glare Junpei held at him. Yosuke smiled nervously, trying to hold the cold sweat forming on his brow. "What?"

Junpei stepped closer to him, "Ya said something to Yuka-tan, didn't ya? Something about Minato or something?" his voice was steeped with seriousness. Obviously, Junpei really took this to heart….

If looks could kill, then the stare Junpei gave him felt like hot daggers pointing right at him. Yosuke shook his head and put his hands up, then looking over to Teddie, "Dude, calm down! Yeah, I said some stuff about that Minato guy. I'm just curious, if he's so important to S.E.E.S. or whatever, then why don't you tell me about him? That's why I asked if he'd been in a drug run or something."

Aigis' face went pale, and Junpei's expression fell flat at that point.

"Sounds like ya stepped on a big landmine, man," Junpei had an uncannily neutral gaze on his face, and suddenly, the capped man glared angrily at Yosuke, "my landmine, too!"

Before he could even react, Junpei sent his fist flying towards Yosuke's face, and pain shot through his nerves as knuckles connected with skin. Yosuke felt his upper lip split, painfully hissing out as he fell to the dirt floor. He barely registered the fall, as Junpei's fist had made its mark.

His face still stung from the impact, and he laid there, too stunned to do anything. Then, his eyes narrowed, and adrenaline kicked in. He barely registered Aigis, Teddie and Labrys' yells and shouts as he tackled Junpei, soon forcing him onto the ground. Junpei grunted, and kneed Yosuke directly on the gut, blowing all his air out.

Yosuke found himself losing his grip, and he was forced onto the floor by Junpei, who leaped up on top of him and started to throw punches down at him. "You know jackshit about what happened to us! Stop acting like you know everything because of your stupid therapist fantasy adventures!"

"Junpei-san, please stop!" yelled Aigis.

Teddie mumbled and stuttered innocently, and began rushing over, "Don't fight! Please, this is pawful!"

In defense, Yosuke rose his arms up, "What the hell?! Why're you like this!?"

"You don't know jackshit about real hardship!" yelled Junpei as he continued the assault. Pain shot through Yosuke's arms as Junpei slammed his fists into them, but Yosuke quickly elbowed Junpei on the right ribs, causing him to double over.

He felt horrible, fighting his friend like this, but emotions were a drug, and he was acting on anger from Junpei's sudden attack. Yosuke sprung to his feet and tried to throw a punch square at Junpei's face, but he felt a mechanical arm grab it.

The boy turned around to see Labrys, who solemnly shook her head, "It… it ain't worth fightin'… don't fight, Yosuke, please…."

Aigis turned to help Junpei onto his feet, the man looking rather shell-shocked, and actually quite regretful. But Yosuke glared at him angrily, not being able to forgive that sudden punch… "What the hell is wrong with you, Junpei?!" yelled Yosuke.

Aigis glared back at him, and Yosuke took a step back, haunted by the sheer impatience of that gaze, "Be quiet, Yosuke-san!" she yelled.

However, when Junpei got to his feet, he glared furiously at Yosuke, and he gripped at his cap. "Some shitty day we all had. I can't do anything right at work, Yukari's off crying somewhere, and Fuuka-chan's probably doing the same," and then he pointed right at the boy, which only made Yosuke feel more terrible, the more he thought about it, "and it's all your fault! If you didn't open your big mouth, we'd probably be off having fun or whatever, but no, you had to say some stupid shit about Minato, when he-"

The enraged Junpei burst out, trying to get at Yosuke, but Aigis held him back tightly. He struggled against the robot's grip, but soon enough, he stopped, and sighed. Finally, Aigis released him… but, to Yosuke's surprise, and strangely enough, sadness, Junpei just flopped down with none of his usual cheer.

"I'm… I'm just gonna go home," he said sadly. Without a word then, Junpei yelled in anguish, and ran off.

If fighting with his friend wasn't painful enough, it was the haunted look on Junpei's face that appeared just before he ran off. Yosuke looked down at the dirt, and kicked a stray stone. Then, Aigis spoke up.

"Yosuke-san… why did you say those terrible things?" asked Aigis. Yosuke looked up at her, and paled. She frowned pitifully, and her fists were cupping together, tightening.

Yosuke put a hand to his face in embarrassment, "I know it sounds really stupid, and really petty… and it is… but I want to know what happened. What happened to you guys… I mean… I went too far, but…."

He felt a little better when Teddie put his hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, Yosuke, everything will be fine!" Teddie smiled. Yosuke looked at Labrys, and she tried to grin too, but it came off taut.

A look of utter loss crossed Aigis' eyes for just a moment, but vanished and reverted to her serious glare. "Well… I thought I shouldn't tell you, but… do you want to hear about the Dark Hour? About Tartarus? About Nyx? About Minato?"

Yosuke nodded, and Teddie walked to his side, the look in the bear's eyes was clear: he took this as seriously as Aigis and Yosuke did.

Aigis looked over to Labrys. Both androids bit their lower lips, and then the blonde girl sighed, beginning her story.

"Back in 1999… fourteen years ago… a team of scientists from the Kirijo Group had discovered the powers of the Shadows. Mitsuru-san's grandfather had wanted to exploit the Shadow's abilities to distort time and space, and had gathered many, many Shadows for that."

Teddie's eyes widened, "Uwah! Luckily he didn't take any sexy bears like me!"

Labrys giggled, and Aigis had to force down the smile appearing on her face, "Yes. However, during the experiment, the scientists found out about the prophecy of The Fall. It was about an ancient entity known as Nyx, the god of death, who delivered Death and Night to the world. She would descent upon Earth to destroy humanity if humanity ever lost the will to live."

Her face grew more grim, "But Mitsuru-san's grandfather knew about this, and accepted this. He was a nihilistic, foolish man. The scientists took more and more Shadows, hoping to resurrect Death, and bring upon the Fall."

Hearing that, Yosuke snarled, "Who the hell did they think they were, the Grim Reaper or something?"

"However, as the experiment was reaching the final stages, one man intervened, and the Shadows went berserk. Death was split into thirteen powerful Shadows, and they destroyed the laboratory. The resulting explosion caused a dimensional rift, creating what we knew as the Dark Hour. And the laboratory, located in the establishment of Gekkoukan High School, would become Tartarus in the Dark Hour. Tartarus was a distorted tower, and we had to climb that strange tower slowly, but surely, to find the mystery of the Shadows. Our job was made easier in that Shadows only gathered in Tartarus… and the rift in reality made it so they only appeared in the Dark Hour."

Yosuke's eyes widened… so S.E.E.S. had fought their battles in the real world, and he remembered those guns Mitsuru and Akihiko carried, "So you guys… those Evokers… because you guys fought in this special hour… you needed those guns to summon your Personas?"

"I had one built inside me. It stimulates the brain, the sensation causing fear and self-preservation… key elements to summoning a Persona."

"Wow… it's natural for us in the TV World, then again that's because it's a world full of Shadows and Personas…" muttered Yosuke, his thoughts mulling over what he just learned. So Mitsuru was trying to clean up her grandfather's mess, and the S.E.E.S. had to pull guns on themselves to use their Personas… must have been really rough.

Aigis continued: "I had cornered and fought the incomplete Death on the Moonlight Bridge, but even then, I wasn't able to defeat it. But there was a young boy standing there, and in a desperate measure, I…" she paused, and looked down at the floor, "sealed Death within him."

Labrys frowned, but put a reassuring hand on her sister, "Sis, ya did what ya had to do. I woulda done the same thin' in your case."

Surprise rocked Yosuke, and he went wide-eyed, "That kid was… Minato, I'm guessing?"

The blonde android nodded, "Yes… after that, I was sealed for ten years, in Yakushima. I would meet Minato and his dear friends ten years later, in 2009… by now, he had gotten a Persona as well, but he had the strangest power… he could switch Personas, a power called the Wild Card. The very same power that Yu-san has…" and then, her eyes fell down in shame, "and as you know, I inherited that power."

Minato had the powers of the Wild Card too? Yu had once mentioned that there had to be someone else with powers like his, and to think Aigis had got it from someone else? The way she said it, he knew something had happened to Minato.

"So, what happened? Did you beat Nyx?" gasped Teddie.

"We had much strife and hardship, but yes, eventually, we climbed to the top of Tartarus, on January 31st, 2010… the beginning of the Fall. No matter how hard we fought, though, we couldn't stop Nyx… but Minato-san, with our cries to live, and with the bonds of his friends, did the impossible, and defeated Nyx, sealing her away for all eternity… but at a terrible cost."

Yosuke's heart felt like it was caught in his throat, "I-I mean, Yu had done that kind of thing too, to Izanami… so Minato didn't….?"

The pitiful, heartbroken look in Aigis' cerulean eyes was too much. She only shook her head, "Minato-san… passed away on March 6th, 2010, after falling into a coma on March 5th, 2010…."

A squeal came from behind Aigis, and there was Teddie, looking absolutely shaken, "S-So… Minato… Sensei before Sensei… he didn't make it….?"

Aigis shook her head, "No… he didn't…" but, she put up a gentle, warm smile at the bear, "but he found the answer to his life. Minato-san was a good man, and no one could ever replace him. That said… you are very lucky to still have Yu-san."

There was no malice, or bitterness in the android's voice. There was only nostalgia and peace, and the smile on her face could calm an infant. Teddie nodded, and gently let Labrys hold him close, his own face turning into a wide beam.

Aigis nodded, before continuing again, "I inherited his power, and found my own answer to life…" she looked over to Labrys, who gave her a wide smile, "that I have friends, true companions. It's a painful lesson, and that pain will always be within me, but although I am a machine, I have a heart. And as a certain sister of mine told me…" she then put her hand where her heart was, and sighed gently, "my heart is connected to the sea shared by all souls."

Yosuke gulped. The way Aigis spoke, it was obvious that this Minato guy really had changed everyone's lives for the better. He really did sound like Yu, but his heart beat faster hearing that Minato, unlike Yu, had passed away to seal Nyx, the death god.

"I think Minato-sensei and Sensei would get along bear-y well!" cheered Teddie. Aigis smiled at him and nodded.

Yosuke stood up straight, but he clenched his teeth, trying to hold in the flood of emotion. He couldn't stop it though, and he looked up at the three, his eyes gleaming with guilty pain.

"So, you guys lost him, and he's keeping humanity from destroying itself? Haha…hahaha… hahahahahaha…" with each course of giggles, Yosuke's fake smile dropped. He thought about his friends, about Saki, about the murders two years ago, about everything he had fought for, how none of it would have happened had Minato not sacrificed himself to stop Nyx and her apocalypse.

"Hahaha…" he choked, and his head hung in defeat. Yosuke's eyes began to water, and he choked, his eyes getting redder and his throat tightening further, until he let out a wrecked sob and put his hands to his face. "Hahahaha…!"

He cried, humiliated, horrified and sick with himself. He let out cracked sobs, and felt his palms grow wetter as tears filed down his cheeks. He couldn't bear to look at Aigis now, since he had insulted her closest friend, and his heart felt hollowed when he imagined how Yukari and Junpei must have felt.

"I'm sorry… I'm really sorry…."

The tears had ceased pouring from his ducts, leaving his eyes red, and his voice ever so hoarse. Yosuke felt raw, dry, and humiliated. He didn't feel good, just cracking down in front of Aigis, Labrys and Teddie like that. It made him feel weak. Helpless, even.

"I'm so sorry… I guess I really screwed everything up, huh? Maybe I'll just… never see you guys again," he wept. But, Aigis shook her head.

"Never say that! Yosuke-san, you are my friend, without you and your friends, I would have never been reunited with Labrys!"

Labrys, who also looked quite teary-eyed, nodded vigorously, "Dat's right! You said some stupid stuff, but I'm sure everything will work out in the end! It just has to!"

He would admit, he felt better hearing those words, but not even their warm steel hands on his shoulder could make him snap out of it, not after what he had said about a good man like Minato, and how he reacted towards Yukari and Junpei.

Yosuke sighed, "Thanks, but… I'll just go back to my hotel room, okay?"

He gently peeled their hands away from them, stood up, and turned on his heels, striding away from them, trying to play it cool.

He hoped they didn't see him sob more tears.

* * *

After Yukari had ran off, and Fuuka had chased after her, Junpei found himself wandering around Port Island, just taking in the sights of his home city. He usually didn't wander like this, and usually just headed straight to the game center, but he was angry. Yosuke had said some really stupid shit, and hell, in his opinion; he deserved that hit to the face.

How could he say that about Minato, when all he did was just go around watching people deal with their personal issues? In his eyes, Yosuke was just a spoilt kid, jealous because a guy whose ashes were laid out in a private cemetery, right next to Shinjiro and Akihiko's little sister, had more then he'd ever have.

Damn, the more he thought about it, the more depressed he felt. In his daze, Junpei decided to head to Yukari's apartment. She would have reached her home now, she did tell him that she walked to JunesCon, after all.

In what felt like seven or eight minutes, Junpei had walked up to what looked like a clean, efficient apartment complex. He knew from memory that this was where Yukari and Fuuka lived, thanks to paying the two visits on occasion.

Junpei immediately found himself feeling a little jealous of Yukari and Fuuka. He did know that Mitsuru had helped the two move into their new apartments after they graduated, to be closer to their colleges of choosing, but he could only afford a small, cramped loft at best. And even then, that was thanks to his Persona ability and his own ability to hold down odd jobs.

Without that, he'd be in a really bad situation.

Junpei, still feeling a bit of a buzz, tried to press those dark thoughts out from his head, and took the elevator up to the floor of Yukari's apartment. He soon reached the door, and saw her name's characters written down on the side. Grinning like he usually did, he put his fist on the door and knocked energetically.

"Heyyyy, Yuka-tan! Open up!"

"Go away! I don't want to talk to anybody right now!" yelled Yukari from behind the door.

He couldn't explain why, but at that remark, Junpei felt a trigger be pulled in his mind, and his face contorted with rage, pure rage like when he attacked Yosuke: "Stop being a moody bitch and open up!"

Yukari stayed silent for a few seconds. Junpei didn't faze, hell, she had spent the entire afternoon being moody and generally unpleasant. Then, a sob later, she yelled: "_JUST GET LOST!_"

His mouth contracted to the point that his teeth were bare, and his fists tightened up, angry at Yukari's attitude. Everyone had been giving him hell today: first he got told off by the manager for a small mistake, everyone started talking down to him, and Yosuke, his friend, started badmouthing the best friend he never had, and hurt his friends.

"YUKARI! You…" his yell then trailed off, and kicked the ground in anger, not willing to take out his frustration on Yukari. Let her spend the night crying her eyes out. That'd teach her.

Junpei turned tail, not even looking back, and sulked off to the elevator. His heart began to sink, and he became even more depressed, his anger giving way to sorrow.

Yeah, this had been a really shitty day.

* * *

When Yosuke met his father, who was just settling some business matters with some suited executives, he tried to smile, but couldn't. Mr. Hanamura had been wearing a wide grin, but he must have seen the glum expression on his son's face, as he suddenly took on a concerned expression.

"What's wrong, son?"

Yosuke sighed, and rubbed at his red eyes, "N-Nothing Dad. I… I just want to go to the hotel, okay? I… had a fight with a friend."

Mr. Hanamura nodded, apparently not ready to question him, "I… I understand."

Yosuke soon returned to the hotel room, and soon retreated to his bedroom. His mother had wanted to go talk to him, but his father just put a hand on her shoulder, and shook his head.

"Yosuke's got to have some time to himself," he had said, completely serious.

The brunette had taken his shirt off, and had tried to take a shower to take his mind off it, but to no avail. Now, he was staring at himself in the mirror, clad in only a towel, and no matter how hard he tried to think otherwise, he just couldn't stop himself from thinking about what he said about Minato.

Minato Arisato, a man who had sacrificed his own life to save humanity. Minato Arisato, a man who, for all reasons, was a very good person. Minato Arisato, the leader before Yu.

Yosuke put his hands on the sink, and before he knew it, his cheeks were wet once more. He cried in frustration, in anger with himself. The boy put his hands onto his face, to hide his face from the mirror, and continued to cry.

He wept, hating himself for saying such horrible things about Minato. His throat ached, his nose began to run, and soon, his eyes were red. A few minutes later, he looked back up at the mirror, and painfully smirked at the reflection that greeted him.

"Guess I'm not cute when crying…" he chuckled to himself, but that chuckle soon went flat.

Teddie had soon arrived, carrying Wild Duck Burger. Yosuke had gotten into a pair of pajama shorts, and silently ate with Teddie (who was hoarding with him in his hotel room: Yosuke didn't complain, he didn't feel like it), had opened his laptop, going on Twitter to ease his pain. Then again, he just wanted to sleep. So he loaded up his Twitter, and keyed up a post.

* * *

_**Twitter Update from #jiraiya**_

"_i had a real bad night 2night… i just wanna tell takeba-san… im sorry."_

_**Reply from #fsteak**_

"_got cockblocked again? :P"_

_**Reply from #jiraiya**_

"_nah, not that… jus said shit i regret now"_

_**Reply from #hotstud**_

"_Are you feeling okay, Yosuke-kun? Do you want to talk to us about it?"_

_**Reply from #fsteak**_

"_damn sry yosuke, yh you wanna talk about it?"_

_**Reply from #jiraiya**_

"_tanks guys… but i think im gonna go to bed."_

_**Reply from #fsteak**_

"_nite yosuke :("_

_**Reply from #hotstud**_

"_You will feel better in the morning, I'm sure. Good night, Yosuke-kun."_

* * *

Teddie only looked very glum, and Yosuke gave him a sad smile, "Hey Ted, go play some games on there."

And so, Yosuke switched off his Twitter, put his head onto the futon's pillow, and dozed off to the sounds of Teddie playing video games, and the gentle crackling of coming thunder, soon falling into a restless sleep. Little did he know, the next day would be one of the most strenuous days of his life….

And that sleep was ended when his phone's call tone blasted out. Yosuke almost roared out of his futon, and was ready to throw his roaring phone onto the wall, when he saw who was calling him… and the current time. Aigis was calling him. It was 23:59.

And he heard rain patter on his window. It suddenly dawned on Yosuke, and he quickly jumped out of bed and sat down next to his room's TV with a frantic pace.

"Yosuke! The Midnight Channel's gonna start!" yelled Teddie, who plopped down on his bear bottom.

"... Oh shit!" he yelped. As his finger swiped across the screen to accept the call, the clock turned 0:00, and the vacant screen flashed to static yellow….


	12. Idiot Box

**Port 9: Idiot Box**

**EDIT: Thanks to Master Warlord for pointing out a few errors. And Heartless Wanderer for an idea!**

**I need a beta.**

* * *

"Yosuke-san! Are you watching your television right now?!" Aigis pleaded on the phone. Yosuke gulped, and his eyes directed over at the yellow screen.

"Yeah, it's just switched on? What about you, Ai?" he said, while Teddie quivered in fear. Yosuke figured it was because it was their new friends (although after today, he wouldn't be surprised if they refused to even see him), but the strategist in Yosuke thought differently.

They were members of S.E.E.S.. They had gotten through the hell that was Tartarus. Obviously, their Personas would be honed to great power, and even today, in the rainy night, he shuddered and felt a chill crawl down from the incredible power of Mitsuru's Artemisia, Akihiko's Caesar and Aigis' Pallas Athena.

Imagine what kind of power Shadow Yukari and Shadow Junpei would have? He remembered the Malevolent Entity's words, and although he was gone now, those words rang in his head.

"_Personas and Shadows are the same thing. If I poison your hearts, I can recruit Shadows of incredible strength."_

Yosuke let out a heavy sigh. Then Aigis spoke again.

"Yes! I… I'm seeing a bar!" cried Aigis, who was getting quite worked up.

Indeed, the TV was showing a musky bar, set amongst a bustling burst of lights and sound, with a staircase leading up to it. What jumped Yosuke's interest was seeing the camera focus on a billboard, which said:

**ACE ALCOHOLIC**

Teddie shook and shivered, and he looked over to Yosuke, shaking in his bear suit, "This bear is shaking in his bear boots! Who could this Shadow be?"

"I have no idea…" Yosuke trailed off, and he frowned, feeling rather sick of what he might end up seeing. As far as he knew, none of his friends had a drinking problem. Yukari was not an alcoholic, no doubt on his mind, same with Fuuka. Could it be….?

The camera then butted inside the bar, and it was a mess, to say the least. Beer bottles all over the floor, along with dark, oozing puddles of what Yosuke assumed were faint Shadows, but after that camera pan, it then fell onto a figure sat on a stool by the bar, a man with shaved black hair, dressed in a cheap, white suit top that didn't look out of place in a Los Vegas strip joint. And he had no pants on, exposing his beer bottle decorated boxers.

Teddie rose up and pointed at the screen, looking like hell froze over for him, "Yosuke… I think I see Junpei!" cried the bear.

And indeed, the man slowly turned around on the stool, spinning around to reveal… Junpei's face. Lazy gray eyes looked at the camera, and he almost looked bored… had it not been for his red, drunken face and sloppy expression. He then grinned at the camera, and waved.

"**Hello, everyone, to the greatest alcohol connoisseur show on the planet, **_**Junpei Iori: Ace Alcoholic**_**!"**

To further the low-budget, cheesy 'cooking show' feel of the program, a cheap Powerpoint text scrolling past showing the title's name, as Junpei took another chug of beer, **"I'm your host, Junpei Iori, and I'll be here to show **_**you**_**, yes, you watching me on the TV, how to go**** forgetting your troubles and screwing reality with a good, cold beer! We go from beer to beer, getting wasted on the best cheap alcohol money can buy, and hey! Maybe you can get a glimpse of a good deal of beer you can buy, just to escape life's problems, right here on **_**Junpei Iori: Ace Alcoholic!**_**"**

Junpei's grin grew more and more distorted as he spoke, and when he sat back down and moved to retrieve his beer, the TV flickered off, leaving Yosuke and Teddie in stunned silence.

Yosuke could do nothing but glance at Teddie, then yell at the phone, "Aigis, does Junpei have a drinking problem or something?!"

"I-I don't know!"

Yosuke was fretting: Junpei was his friend, and he still considered him a friend after their violent blowup, but he now wondered what problems Junpei held now, and if they had anything to do with the horrors of the Dark Hour chronicles. He glanced over at Teddie.

"I'm worried about Junpei, Ted…" Yosuke muttered.

Then, the TV, surprisingly enough, turned itself back on, to the same yellow shade. Yosuke's eyes widened. "Wait, that's not how it works!"

Aigis was obviously trying to keep calm and logical, "Yosuke-san, do you think... that Yukari-san is in as well?"

Yosuke gulped, hearing _her_ name, and he had to force down that growing hurt inside his chest, whenever he thought about her, "I… I don't know… I hope not…."

And surprisingly enough, the TV showed… Fuuka. But this Fuuka was in a dressing room, had her hair in a bun, and looked like she was about to go to a party.

"Fuuka-san!?" yelped Aigis.

Fuuka was checking herself out on a mirror, and she put her hands to her hips in a sultry fashion, before she badly smeared red on her lips. Then she turned to the camera, and while she looked cross, she soon dabbled her eyes in more off-putting eyeshadow.

**"I look so pretty tonight, don't I? Of course I do, I'm the prettiest girl around, because I'm Fuuka Yamagishi! And this is **_**my**_** time, _Beauty Misadventures with Fuuka Yamagishi_!"**

Fuuka smiled like a model, and what popped out this time was Vogue-esque text, with underlines highlighting 'Beauty'.

**"I'm wearing the best in cosmetic, and with my new dress and shoes,"** the camera peeled down to her low-cut black dress, exposing up to her thighs, and her black, insanely high platform heels on her feet,** "I'm ready to hit the town and score with the best guys out there! Not like any slut is gonna get their hands on **_**my**_** men! Tune in, and I'll show you all how to look and act like a real date! Seeya there!"**

The TV flickered off again. Yosuke's eyes were left wide open, almost popping out, while his hands shook. The phone pressed to his ear rattled a little, but Aigis' voice was able to snap him out of his funk. "Yosuke-san, I… I don't know what I just saw…!"

Labrys' voice was heard over the line, yelling, "What da hell?! Fuuka ain't no slut! It's just like that damn Ace Alcoholic infomercial!"

Yosuke tried to gather the words, but he didn't know what else to say, other than how damn slutty, how _wrong_ it was for Fuuka, innocent, sweet Fuuka, dressed up like a whore you'd find on the streets of Roppongai, "W-What the hell was up with Yamagishi-san?! I'm the same as you, Aigis!"

Teddie, on the other hand, looked like he had an early Christmas, and the bear turned to Yosuke with a beaming gleam in his eyes, "Fuu-chan looked like she was gonna score some hot studs! Perhaps she would score with me?"

Yosuke only rolled his eyes at Teddie, "Dude, be serious! This is people in the TV we're talking about here!" then, he put his hand to his chin, "Now that I think about it… wasn't Yamagishi-san glaring at Takeba-san a few times…? I dunno, she never seemed like the jealous type or the kind of girl who'd be that skanky…."

The TV flickered for the third time, and static roared, the set adjusting. Yosuke watched, this had to be Yukari's, and he began to feel his cheeks warm up. But he had no time to really think about it, as this time, the image showed a colorful playroom, bright light dancing on black walls, colored in beige wallpaper.

"K-Ken-san?!" the shock was clear in the android's voice, and Yosuke too was rather surprised. Ken had issues, too? He seemed like an insecure teenager, but not that bad… and wasn't he the one who discovered the Midnight Channel airing in Port Island?

The playroom was basically a child's paradise. Toys, blocks, even a TV to the right, playing a random children's cartoon. It had a colorful garish, and the shelves were full of Featherman figures, from the Red Swan to the Black Condor. There was the yellow haze of the Midnight Channel, but the boy sitting on a chair was unmistakably Ken.

Ken could be seen, with a childish smile, playing with some action figures. He was clad in a strange orange suit that wouldn't look out of place in a sentai program, especially Featherman, and he, oddly enough, looked younger. His cheeks were rounder, he was much shorter, and, well, he looked like a kid.

He looked up at the camera, and smiled. **"Hey kids! I'm Ken Amada, and this is my playroom! **_**Ken Amada's Playhouse!**_**"**

And then, over-the-top chanting filled the air as a superhero logo popped up over Ken's head,** "Tonight, we'll play superhero! When I don my armband and take my Evoker, I go hunting for evildoers who seek to hurt children!"** and he leapt off the chair, and dramatically posed as if he were sweeping a cape over him, **"Let's go find some villains, and make them pay!"**

The TV flickered off once again. Aigis was the first to speak this time, "Heroes, villains… well, Ken-san is quite a mature boy, but he really does try to be an adult… and I do remember he's a big fan of Featherman… what could this mean…?"

Yosuke shook his head, "I've got no idea… I mean, I barely even know the guy, but if he's like this… well, he was a member of S.E.E.S., right? And what happened with you guys happened four years ago?" he put two-and-two together, and he gasped, clenching his teeth, "… Poor kid…."

Teddie looked up at Yosuke, and the confusion and worry in the bear's eyes was immediate, "Oh bear, oh bear… I couldn't bear to imagine if Nana-chan had to fight Shadows alongside us!"

"Yeah, Teddie… me too."

And then, for the fourth time, the TV flickered onto yellow. Yosuke gulped… this definitely had to be Yukari. He gulped, and went red, also feeling nervous, angry at himself, and frustrated. He never got this flustered thinking about seeing anyone else's Shadow in the Midnight Channel, but thinking about her, even after their argument, he still felt that familiar coiling in his heart. He knew he was still hot for her.

His thoughts were interrupted when Aigis yelled out, "It's Yukari-san's!"

This time, the set was at a seedy street that looked like Shirakawa Boulevard. And true to the Midnight Channel, it was set in a hazy yellow light. Yosuke even remembered that love hotel, and he winced, "Hey, Ted, that's the love hotel Ms. Kashiwagi had us stay in!"

The camera panned over to the entrance, and Aigis audibly gasped when Yukari came running in, her slender, perky body clad in only a pink towel, while everything else, from her shoulders, to her long legs down to her feet, were left bare.

Teddie gasped, obviously he would have loved it, but he looked halfway between being petrified and satisfied. Yosuke's face went red seeing that smooth figure, with not much left to the imagination, and while there was still anger towards her, he just couldn't stop staring. She had a mic in hand, and winked to the camera, giggling girlishly.

**"Welcome, dear romantic viewers out there, to _Yuka-tan's Love Love Paradise Hotel_, with your host, Yukari Takeba!"**

Yukari then spread her arms out like a rainbow, and out came cheesy text, bordered by a love heart, with an arrow through the 'Love-Love' part. **"Tonight, we're going to search in this hotel and see how it's like to be in love. Not just that, but experiencing true love, and how far you'd go for love! Ooooh, it's so hot that I think I'm sweating already!"**

Yukari ran off towards the entrance of the hotel, and winked at the camera, cocking a leg and posing proactively,** "Well, let the dream begin! Let's investigate who inside has the biggest heart to love! Ciao~!"**

Yukari blew a kiss right to the camera, and it then faded to static, before switching off, hopefully for good this time.

Yosuke couldn't speak, his face burning red. Love. Paradise. Yukari in a towel. Then, he cracked, "Yuka-tan's Love Love Paradise Hotel... oh damnit, it's like Kanji's Shadow all over again!"

Given the way she ranted on about being in true love, he looked at Teddie, who looked confused, if rather humored, and even a tad frightened, "True love… love hotel… Yosuke, I think she's looking for a total stud! Someone like me!"

"Teddie, this ain't the time!" yelled Yosuke. When Teddie recoiled, he sighed and rubbed his temple with his fingers, "I'm sorry man… just, I... I dunno..."

The two could only think about what was going to happen when they went into the TV, and they both went to bed without a word, besides a meek 'Good night' from Teddie.

* * *

"Yosuke-san, Teddie-san… I recommend, before the mission this afternoon, that you relax and relieve stress."

Those were Aigis' words a few hours later as the morning sun rose over Port Island. And so, after coming up with a quick excuse to spend the day away from Junes, Yosuke and Teddie were walking down Port Island station, towards the movie theater. Teddie was in his bear form, and when asked about it, he claimed he would get a discount because he was Junes' mascot.

"Ever since that Ms. Junes stuff? Teddie, Junes is a laughing stock!"

Teddie only smiled, "People love Junes wherever we go! I think they still love us!"

And as if fate called, Yosuke and Teddie walked past a TV shop, with the newest LCD TVs on sale. The news report highlighted the JunesCon, while showing clips of Yukari dancing and spinning about as Ms. Junes, switching from full body shots to close-ups of her face, with that wide (and obviously fake) grin, that twinkle in those sparkling milk brown eyes, and those pink lips, and-

"Yuka-chan's famous!" Teddie chirped, snapping Yosuke out of his brief trance. He shook his head and glared over at Teddie, but then eased up, and smiled at the TV.

Then Yosuke pursed his lips curiously, and as the news report continued, he winced.

"_Yesterday, Junes, the growing chain store franchise, opened a convention called JunesCon. The convention advertised new Junes products, exported and in-house, and was an attempt to establish the Junes located right here, on Tatsumi Port Island. Also, the promotion revealed a new advertising figure, Ms. Junes, played by Yukari Takeba, 20, in a live performance. The performance itself has gained notoriety as a viral video for its campy presentation, and in one day, has reached half a million views already on YouTube from both Japanese and international audiences. Takeba has also become one of the hottest topics on blogging sites."_

The only thing Yosuke could do was bite his lip, both horrified and very amused, "Oh, god, Takeba-san's not gonna like this when we get her out."

However, Teddie was grinning, "Yuka-chan's famous! She's not as famous as me, but we'll soon be equals!"

Yosuke rolled his eyes, "Yeah, you totally had a viral video up your sleeve," he sarcastically replied, "come on, let's go to the cinema."

With the bear plodding behind him, Yosuke soon walked over to the cinema. But Teddie was the first to go up to the cashier, causing Yosuke to palm his face with his hand. "This is not gonna end well."

Teddie gave her his most charming, adorable smile. "My name's Teddie, and I'm a bear-y big stud! I hope I get one grizzly discount!"

The cashier tapped her fingernail on the board, "We don't give discounts to stuffed mascots. Especially those from Junes. Pay the full price."

Teddie gasped, apparently horrified, "That's highway robbery! I-"

And this time, Yosuke chose this as the opportunity to go save Teddie's butt from trouble, and he handed the money over, enough to pay for two tickets, "Never mind him! He's just a kid! Hehe!" Yosuke grinned nervously. Then, he shot the hardest glare ever to Teddie, "If you make an ass outta yourself any further, we might not even get into the TV!"

And as he collected the tickets and went into the lobby, Teddie remained silent. But when they got into the actual theater and found their seats (after wasting money on buying popcorn to keep Teddie off his back), the bear spoke up.

"Hmm, didn't Ai-chan tell us to relieve stress? Was that why, to keep me out of your room, you bought me those burgers two nights ago, when I met Yuka-chan, Fuu-chan, Junpei…" then his smile dropped a tinge, "… and Ken?"

Yosuke went red, panic crawling up his spine, "T-Ted! Not in public!"

The bear couldn't resist, "No wonder you had those magaz-"

He slammed a hand across Teddie's mouth at that point, not letting him speak anymore, "Shut up! That's stuff's none of your business!"

"Ah, Yosuke-san? Teddie-san?"

The smooth, yet emotive voice of Aigis made Teddie perk up, and the movie hadn't even started yet! The bear waved over to the blonde android, who was sat a few rows ahead, while her silver-haired sister waved over as well, looking very happy to see them.

And seeing them too made Yosuke quite happy, but he also paled, remembering about the mission. That he'd have to see those two again, whose precious friend he had mocked and harped on about. He wanted to fight. He just didn't want Yukari or Junpei to be hurt.

"Ai-chan!" chanted Teddie, "Do you like _Hyperlove 3: The Chance of a Lifetime_ too?"

The android smiled, but it was one of awkwardness, "Well, yes. I've watched the first two with Labrys."

"I think they're awesome! It's got action, romance, techno, electronics, and robots too!"

Had it not been for Yosuke jumping up to grab Teddie, he would have leaped over the seats to go to Aigis and Labrys, "Grr! Get off me Yosuke! He reminds me of Captain X!"

Labrys smiled, "Well, Yosuke ain't as obsessed as Captain X, but he does have a crush on Yukari!"

Yosuke's face burned bright red, and he felt lost for words, stammering and stuttering. It was obvious. He _really_ liked Yukari. Hell, their fight did nothing to diminish the feelings he had for her. Of course, his flustered state was what Teddie needed to escape his clutches, and the bear practically sailed over the seats, landing next to Aigis and Labrys.

"Miss President! I'm so glad I can sit next to you!" grinned Teddie. The ponytailed android only smiled slightly bashfully.

Yosuke sighed, and sat on the row above Aigis. But, as his cheeks burned and as the trailers started, Labrys shushed Teddie, who complied (if only he'd listen to him more often), he needed a way to take his current thoughts away from Yukari.

"S-Say, Aigis… when're we gonna start? Today?"

Aigis looked past her shoulder at him, and nodded. The determination and spirit underneath those eyes were apparent, "We'll go, after the movie is done."

* * *

Soon enough, they had reached the café where the Shadow Operatives met, and where, two days ago, Yosuke had been introduced to the information about the Midnight Channel in Port Island. Aigis had been biting her lower lip the whole way through, while Labrys could do nothing but put a consoling hand on her sister's shoulder, looking completely helpless. Yosuke felt her pain, remembering how sometimes, he acted as the shoulder for Yu to cry on when things were at their worst.

"Yukari-san, Junpei-san, Ken-san and Fuuka-san disappeared last night. We fear that soon, they may encounter their Shadows… but what bothers me is that Ken-san got thrown in too…" Aigis frowned, and Labrys moved over to her, shuffling sadly.

"It's okay sis… I think we couldn't have stopped them from falling in anyway."

Yosuke frowned with the two androids, certainly understanding their pain.

Teddie bounced on his step with a gleeful flight, but after he glided up the steps, the bear soon stopped in his tracks and went white as a sheet. Then, a dog could be heard growling. Yosuke, Aigis and Labrys perked up at that sound, and then, heard Teddie's screams. Yosuke knew what was going on, he had to see this.

"Koro-chan!" yelled Labrys, and despite the serious atmosphere, Yosuke couldn't help but snigger at the sight he was seeing.

Koromaru was bouncing on Teddie, biting him, and dragging him across the floor. Teddie struggled comically, stubby legs kicking in the air, trying to shove the Shiba Inu off him with failure.

"Waaaah! Get this dog off my beautiful fur! He's slobbering all over it! He must be in league with Kanji!"

The white dog barked in response, and bit Teddie again, causing him to yell in pain. It was enough to make Yosuke snort, and he let out a laugh. Not like he could resist it now. "Ted, dude, I bet he thinks you're not a real bear!"

Koromaru let out a woof, and Labrys, much to Yosuke's surprise, nodded, "Dat's right! Koro-chan said he's trying to defeat this Shadow for us!"

"But I'm not a bad Shadow! I'm a good Shadow!" squealed Teddie, still being dragged and tossed about by Koromaru's waving head. Aigis smiled, and gently walked over to Koromaru, stroking his head.

"Teddie is a friend of ours. Please, do not hurt him," Aigis told Koromaru in a soothing voice. Koromaru tilted his head, then his eyes softened, dropping Teddie as well.

Teddie got up to his feet, moaning and trying to wipe dog slobber off him with an annoyed grunt, "Gaaah! This is bear-y annoying!" the mascot bear then pointed a stubby hand at Koromaru, "Bad Koro-chan!"

Koromaru whimpered sadly, causing Teddie to then drop his scowl and smile bashfully at the white dog, "Oh, this bear can always forgive a dog almost as adorable as himself! Come here, Koro-chan!"

And of course, the dog perked up and leaped up to Teddie, shoving him down to the floor, then he retreated, still staring at the bear. The sight of Teddie being overpowered by an adorable pooch made Yosuke smile, and same went for Labrys and Aigis.

"You're just jealous, hmph!" scowled Teddie. However, after Teddie was done squealing and shouting, Aigis' expression grew more serious.

"Now, as me and Labrys are already equipped, so I decided to get weapons for you three as well. I… I'm not sure if I should bring some for Yukari-san, Junpei-san and Ken-san as well."

Labrys, though, was there with an encouraging smile, "Dun worry, Ai! We'll get them, safe and sound! I'll hold their weapons…."

"No… it's quite alright. I will give them weapons the next day we go in."

That caught Yosuke's attention, "Wait, next day?"

Apparently ignoring him, the android took three weapons from the cupboard, and passed them off. Koromaru took a short knife, holding the cutlass directly between his teeth. Teddie took a claw made just for him and slipped it on his hand. He then slashed at the air, following up with a grin.

"This is such a bear-y good weapon! You have taste, Ai-chan!"

For Yosuke, he got two dual kunai, the edges sharp, to the point where he didn't even want to try licking it. It'd cut his tongue otherwise… but it'd be good for cutting Shadow flesh. He eyed it for a bit, still caught in his confusion over Aigis' choice of words, but the android's duck walk caught his ear, as he looked over to the blonde artificial girl.

Aigis moved over to the HD TV, and put her hand through. Ripples danced from her arm, the TV screen wavering like a pond had a rock thrown inside. She looked over to Yosuke, Teddie, Labrys, and Koromaru, and nodded, a determined look on her face. "Are you ready? There's no turning back!"

"I'm ready, sis!" cried Labrys.

"This bear is going to be a man!" yelled Teddie.

Koromaru barked enthusiastically. As for Yosuke….

He smiled awkwardly and swallowed, trying to calm his steady nerves, especially when it came to facing _her_ Shadow, "Y-Yeah, I'm ready."

* * *

The Midnight Channel. Fuuka herself had never gone there, but after she had disappeared into her TV, she had nothing to do but sit around at the table, waiting for anyone to come rescue her. She knew they had to. She had been trapped in a supernatural place before, so she wasn't too scared, and she knew how to keep out of harm's way.

She even smiled a little, remembering how Minato had come to save her when she was trapped in Tartarus. Ten hellish hours trapped in that twisted tower, which, to her surprise, were actually days in normal time.

It gave her a strange sense of nostalgia. But Fuuka was really, really frightened of the channel, for a reason she couldn't fathom….

She was scared for her friends, especially what she had heard of the Shadow Selves. What dark secrets did her best friends keep from her and the others?

Fuuka then heard a whine, and the sounds of people crashing on top of one another. She stood up, and walked over to where the old dorm TV was, to find….

Aigis, Labrys, Yosuke, Teddie, and Koromaru. Yosuke sat up, and rubbed his bottom with a wince.

"Argh!" cried Yosuke, "Hate when that happens!"

"Oof!" Teddie yelped, "My beautiful fur!"

Aigis clanged against the wood, but got up without a complaint.

"Man! I never get used to 'dis," muttered Labrys as she picked herself off the floor.

"Is everyone alright?" asked the concerned Fuuka. She looked around to see everyone rubbing their shoulders or patting themselves down, and she sighed in relief. She looked over at the TV they came from, and that was when her eyes widened. She had seen a TV like that four years ago….

Aigis' voice came calling, "Fuuka-san, is this… the dorm?"

When Fuuka turned her head to really take note of her surroundings, she gasped.

"It… it really is the dorm! But… what's this… this is not how I remember it…" said the green-haired girl, who raised her eyebrows at the strange sight. It was a hazy yellow, and the dining area had its chairs and stools missing, and the table had Minato plushies on. On the barstool, what surprised Fuuka was seeing trashed beer bottles stacked on there.

"Hey… 'dis ain't the dorm, righ'?" asked Labrys, who looked around with confusion written over her face, "I mean, it ain't like whatcha told me back in Yakushima 'n' all… maybe 'cause Yuka and Junpei are stuck in the channel, it's like 'dis. Yeah, sounds about right."

Yosuke scratched his head, and twirled a knife in his hand, cocking his eyebrow at the Minato plushies laid around the table, "Don't tell me Takeba-san's Shadow is about…" his eyes narrowed a little, but they softened, and instead, a deep frown came across his features, "… Minato."

A bitter silence came over the group. They all looked at each other, but when Yosuke brought up Yukari, a strange, bitter feeling grew in Fuuka's chest. The same angry feeling she had when she saw Yukari parade around as Ms. Junes, taking in all that praise...

But Teddie simply flashed a bright smile, "Don't worry guys! By the looks of it, just three Shadows, and we'll be home for a grizzly supper! I'm sure glad Fuu-chan doesn't have a Shadow!"

"**Oooooh~? Did someone just say 'Fuu-chan' and 'Shadow'?"**

A dreaded feeling crossed through Fuuka's body, from the tip of her head to the tips of her toes, her nerves shook once she heard that echoing, distorted voice. Koromaru began to growl angrily, and everyone turned around to the top of the stairs….

A strange girl was carrying a pot, the steam covering her face, as she stirred the contents around. She began to step down the staircase, but the first thing Fuuka noticed was the platform heels she was wearing, which made her steps awkward and wobbly.

Obviously, this girl wasn't used to walking around in high heels, and there were several times where Fuuka worried if she was going to tip over or not.

The new girl reached the bottom though, and continued to stir her pot. Now that she was only a few feet from them, Fuuka and the others could see what she was stirring… a nauseating green mess. Yosuke, Teddie and Labrys visibly gagged seeing the putrid goop swirl around gently, and something seemed to click in Fuuka's head… what was the meaning of this?

It looked like… her Mystery Food X. But there was no way someone could replicate that, Fuuka's eyes widened and she looked at the figure, who was clad in a form-fitting black dress, whose face was concealed by the steam. And she had a very strange feeling come from this girl, something that felt off-putting and wrong, "Um… who…."

"**Can't even finish the sentence, you ugly little whore? Well, I'll finish it for ya,"** what made Fuuka's breath hitch in her throat was how uncanny this girl's voice sounded. It sounded like… hers, but with a gravely echo and a distortion wrapped around it.

And so, the steam cleared from the food… the girl had Fuuka's own face! **"Who am I? I'm you!"**


	13. Shadow of the Priestess

**Port 10: Shadow of the Priestess**

**Author Notes: This is my first time publishing a Shadow encounter. I'm struggling to write the actual battle itself, so I decided to give you guys the encounter and see what I did right and what I did wrong. Think of this as a learning experience!**

_In this chapter: To save Yukari, Fuuka, Ken, and Junpei, Yosuke, Aigis, Labrys, Teddie and Koromaru enter the Midnight Channel, only to find something that Fuuka didn't want anyone to see…._

* * *

"M-Me?!" squealed the real Fuuka. This Fuuka was not her… or so the terrible makeup job splashed on her face would say. What really alarmed Fuuka were not the lips smeared in red, but the golden, glowing eyes, caked in eyeshadow, which only served to highlight those eerie, unnatural eyes. Her mouth was smeared into an insane grin as well. And her body was clad in a form fitting black dress, with glittery jewels pasted around it, giving it a fake, pathetic aura.

"Yamagishi-san, she's a Shadow! A part of you!" cried Yosuke, "That's what the Midnight Channel is all about!"

When Fuuka looked to Yosuke, Labrys nodded as well, a determined, but scared look written upon her face, "That's right. This I know too well, it's kinda like somethin' ya don't wanna admit. Ya can tell us what ya wanna admit, Fuu."

Fuuka couldn't listen to them though. She was staring right into the mad, bulging eyes of the other Fuuka, who glared at her with sinister glee. The horrible doppelganger's aura was only enhanced by the unnaturally glowing gold eyes, held so wide you could see the entire iris. Fuuka backed down a step, and frowned, "B-But… I'm me… I'm Fuuka Yamagishi… you're just wearing my face, right?"

"**Unfortunately,"** snorted the other Fuuka, **"I mean, not like I'm some gorgeous model like a friend of mine, right?"**

Fuuka felt a sting right to the chest, and her hands pressed against her own features, her round cheeks, her lips, her wide, large eyes… she wasn't a beauty… not at all. Not like Yukari, or Mitsuru, or Aigis. She looked down at her boots, and frowned, "Um…."

She saw the Shadow's hips shuffle a little, implying a shrug, **"Besides, everyone is prettier than me. Even with all my makeup on, I still am me, plain ol' me, ugly little Fuuka Yamagishi."**

"H-How are you… why are you wearing my face as a mask…" gasped Fuuka. So this was what Labrys had gone through… yet the way this Shadow was saying all that stuff right in front of everyone without a care in the world, this stunned her. She gulped, and glared at the Shadow with furrowed eyebrows, "h-how can you say that!"

"Yeah, when your makeup is just your Mystery Food X splashed across your face," cracked Yosuke.

From the boy's remark, anger began to boil up in Fuuka's chest, that and embarrassment. Everyone could see this monster caked in makeup, yelling and whining about being ugly. She bit her lower lip, trying to distract herself from the words being thrown at her.

But Shadow Fuuka simply scoffed. She put her hands on her hips, and smirked, **"What does it mean to be… pretty? Accepted by everyone? To be on TV? To be loved? To have people surround you?"**

"W-what do you mean… I… I get nervous when I get attention…!" cried a shuddering Fuuka, "I… I like just being in my little group, with my friends!"

"**See? Your little group that shows you're not pretty! I don't want your little group full of your SEESies, I want to be loved by everyone! Unfortunately for me, my innocent, quiet little bookworm act kinda backfired on me, what with that **_**robot**_** and that **_**bitch**_** who nearly doomed our world!"**

Before Fuuka could open her mouth to respond, someone else spoke up, a more innocent character, "Oh bear… don't tell me… Fuu-chan is jealous of… Ai-chan and Yuka-chan?"

Fuuka immediately turned around, to see a confused Teddie, with Labrys by his side. She stamped her foot, shaking her head vigorously, "N-no! H-How can I be jealous of my dear friends!"

The silver-haired android quirked her eyebrows, but narrowed them, clearly not believing what the Shadow was saying, "But when ya worked with me and the others in da Shadow Operatives, you always seemed so lovin'!"

Fuuka actually felt some relief at Labrys' good-natured remark. However, that remark was enough to make Shadow Fuuka snort mockingly, then burst into a fit of mad cackling, palming her face, "**Hehehehe… hahahahaha… GEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Do you seriously,"** she snorted, **"believe in that garbage?!"**

Koromaru growled viciously at the golden-eyed, crass version of Fuuka, and Labrys' eyes jerked wide open, a deep frown forming on her face. "Well, yeah, of course I do! Fuuka's one of my friends, and ya don't mess with my friends, bozo!"

"**Would you be her friend after what I'm going to tell you, you fake bitch?"** Shadow Fuuka snarled. Labrys shut up at that point, her frown settling for a furious snarl.

The Shadow even turned over and pointed to Aigis, who backed a step at the harsh glare she was given, **"That goes for you too, 'Ai-chan'!"** but then, she reached out and grabbed the real Fuuka by the shoulders. Pain shot through Fuuka's nerves as she felt the Shadow's nails dig into her sensitive skin, as Shadow Fuuka spoke again, **"But this is dedicated just for you, me~"**

Fuuka tried to push the Shadow away, but she found she couldn't do it. The grip Shadow Fuuka had on her shoulders were like a vice grip, and no matter how hard she tried, Fuuka just couldn't even budge the ghastly visage. "What do you want!? Let me go!"

"**What do I want? I just want to show you the truth you keep denying! What you really are is just a jealous little girl, who wants to be adored, just like your friends! You claimed you weren't bothered at all back in senior year, when it was always Yukari, or Aigis getting all the date offers, but you want to know the bitter reality? You wished it was YOU who got those date offers… but no, that wasn't the first time those bitches wronged you…."**

Fuuka paused, unable to think of anything to say. There was a bit of truth in what the Shadow was saying: she really didn't wish it, but she did feel a brief tinge of envy back then….

"**Speaking of high school, didn't you have such a big crush on Minato? I remembered you planned to confess to him during the festival, then turns out he's dating Yukari! Oh, how you cried that night! Tried to hide your tears, then when you saw him and that bitch in her precious little yukata, which were so much better then yours, you had to rely on that brat Ken and that musclehead Akihiko to console you!"**

Fuuka shook her head, yes, she had a crush on Minato, but she was over him. She refused to think of what could have been, had he not fallen for Yukari instead and went to her. She remained silent, but her breathing began to grow heavier. The Shadow may claim to be her, acts like she knew everything about her, but Fuuka thought it was insane.

Much to her surprise, Shadow Fuuka had tears streaming down her eyes, and she cried like a cartoon character. **"Oh, oh, oh, Minato will never notice me now, it was such a silly crush, I was such a fool to believe Minato could ever notice ME~!"**

The sight was so ridiculous, so pathetic, that everyone stared at the Shadow as she rubbed tears from her dark eyes, but the golden gleam and eyeshadow remained untarnished by the tears. Fuuka in particular stared at the Shadow in a mixture of horror, fear, and repulsion. "But… Minato's dead, so I doubt your words mean anything…."

"**No, it's not about Minato. Fuck him. It's about how ugly we are. How much of an ugly duckling we are, compared to the beautiful swans of the S.E.E.S.. I mean, look at Mitsuru. That stern, ice cold leader of ours was considered the most beautiful woman in Gekkoukan High… who could match with that, huh? Oh, I know, Yukari, that bitch! She's Ms. Junes now, and everyone seems to love her sooooo much, huh? That's because she's pretty, so she's accepted! Everyone likes Aigis, and look at her! She's adorable!**

"**And look where you are… you try to be social, but everyone always flocks to someone else, someone who can actually look attractive and hold a conversation for less than ten minutes without trying to make them eat their shitty food…."**

Fuuka looked down, the harsh glare and cruel words of the Shadow starting to get to her. No, she wasn't jealous, she didn't want attention. She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut to stop the tears starting to form, "No, no… I don't like socializing… I don't think those things about my friends… I don't…."

Shadow Fuuka pointed directly at Fuuka's temple, **"That person is **_**you**_**!"**

Then, the strange Shadow girl rose her arm up, and then, darkness clumped together and formed into a large computer monitor, resembling one of the brand new LCD displays they had in the electronic stores. Fuuka stared at the monitor, eyes now widening, as the rest backed away, watching the monitor flicker on.

"**Remember last night? I thought I had issues, but that night you spent surfing the web, and went on your blogs? That really opened some eyes!"**

A sick, grinding feeling passed through her stomach, and she felt her knees start to falter, to weaken, as her thoughts began to whirl into a void of unconscious doubt, anger and fear. Doubt over her physical appearance and if anyone truly wanted her. Anger at this foul Shadow impersonating her.

And fear, because how everyone else would see her.

Her knees were starting to wobble and buckle. Her breathing began to get tighter and tighter, her throat almost constricting in on itself. She couldn't look at anyone else, especially since she imagined what kind of thoughts could be going through their heads now.

Actually, she really didn't want to think of their thoughts right now. This time, she was glad she couldn't hear Juno within her….

Then, her green eyes widened, and Fuuka looked up at the golden-eyed doppelganger, who was busy tapping some keys with poorly manicured nails. The second that familiar logo of _2channel_ popped up, Fuuka's shoulders hunched. She tried to step forward to stop the Shadow, before she did some real damage.

"N-No! Stop it!"

"2channel?" Teddie's innocent voice spoke up, "I didn't know you enjoyed that website too, Fuu-chan! Yosuke goes on there all the time!"

"**Shut up, you stupid bear!" **Shadow Fuuka positively screamed at Teddie. Such a shock caused the bear to jump in his boots, and he began to shake.

"Ooooh! I don't like this side of Fuu-chan!" he squealed. Fuuka felt really sick now, and looked at everyone else, who stared at her with wide eyes.

The green-haired girl felt even worse now, and she squeezed her eyes shut, but, she couldn't resist, and let her eyes open. Then, she gasped.

There was a giant monitor, zoomed in on one particular thread. There were photos of Yukari, some from modeling magazines, others from what looked like college, and most of all, the official photos of Ms. Junes, from her posing in a bikini, to that silly costume she wore at JunesCon.

* * *

'_I hate Junes, but goddamn, that new chick they hired is so hot.'_

'_Junes is run by Koreans!'_

'_I bet that Hanamura guy is descended from Koreans!'_

'_Shut up, you NEET!'_

'_Her name's Yukari Takeba apparently! I think she was my senpai back in high school lol'_

'_Wait, Takeba-senpai! She goes to my college! She's hot, but pretty antisocial, except for when she's with this girl….'_

* * *

Then, there was that post. Fuuka's eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched every time she thought of that post. Seeing it was even worse. It was from an anonymous poster, but it had a photo, a college snapshot of Yukari and Fuuka, the brunette's arm over the meek girl's shoulder, flashing a confident grin. Fuuka, on the other hand, had an awkward smile on her face.

What revolted Fuuka, given what she had said, was that Yukari was in a pink tanktop and jeans. Now, as she looked at the photo again, she sniffed and felt her shoulders slacken, "Y-Yukari-chan…."

* * *

'_ms junes is perfect but that bitch better gtfo'_

'_Wow, she hangs out with that pig?! Tell her she needs to get hotter friends, anon!'_

'_I bet that fat bitch is a Korean!'_

* * *

Fuuka almost teared up when she saw the message she posted as an anon. And the Shadow then looked out at everyone, and grinned.

"**To make things better, why don't I read out my true feelings on that whore?!"**

Fuuka almost collapsed, her mind at wit's end with the Shadow's taunting, and her knees wobbled. She almost fell to the ground, but stopped herself quickly. All she could issue out was a weak whisper, "S-Stop… s-stop….!"

* * *

"_**I've known this bitch since high school. You know she's called Yukari Takeba, but what you don't know is that she's a clingy, spiteful, selfish girl who can't let the past go! She would just spit in your face instead of being grateful, and yet you people make her out to be some sort of goddess!"**_

'_who cares, she's hot!'_

'_so who wants to be smothered in Junes-tan's ass? She has a real cute ass!'_

'_I think Ms. Junes is a bit too old for my tastes, but she's just too cute!'_

* * *

The monitor switched off at that point, leaving everyone to stare in stunned silence. Shadow Fuuka, however, looked rather pleased with herself, and Fuuka could barely look up, now that the incriminating text was gone. However, her face was heating, her throat was tightening, and her eyes were blinking, her emotions running haywire.

Why? Why her? She just needed to vent, and now, everyone was going to hate her and see her as an envious bitch! Fuuka swept a finger past her eye, trying to wipe the forming tears, and with no one approaching her, she felt all alone.

Shadow Fuuka then snarled at the real Fuuka, and spoke again:

"**So, you know what this means…? People consider you a crime against nature! You know it to be true! When compared to your flawless, beautiful friends, you're nothing! So… you know what this means…?"**

Aigis' eyes narrowed, but everyone else looked rather surprised to see another side to her. An ugly side, an evil side. Fuuka looked back at them, and quickly threw her hands over her face so she couldn't see them, but she knew they'd still keep staring, and that was the worst part. "No! Don't look at me! J-Just don't look at me!"

"_**EVEN A DOG IS PRETTIER THAN YOU!**_**"** screamed Shadow Fuuka. Her eyes blazed with a fire as she screamed those words. Koromaru growled and barked angrily, but Shadow Fuuka ignored that, as Fuuka stared wide-eyed.

"H-How can you… argh…" Fuuka almost fell to the floor there, and she felt her face heat up, while her eyes began to burn. She felt tears dribble down the corners of her eyes, and she put her hands to her face, trying to hide them away. A hot, heaving emotion rocked her mind, and rather than fear, only one emotion seethed through her right now.

Fury.

**"So, here's the thing: you still have time, let Yukari suffer! Let her suffer for being better than you in every single way! Let everyone suffer for being prettier than YOU! Let Aigis suffer for being nothing but a machine with a pretty face! Nobody would want her, except freaks who think scrap metal is hot! Let Mitsuru suffer, for being nothing but a haughty bitch trying to play commander! Or hell, you like Risette, right? To hell with her, that plastic bitch!"**

"S-Stop it!" yelped Fuuka, her heart in her throat, unable to look at Aigis, or anybody else for that fact. She shut her eyes tight and shook her head, hot tears rolling down her cheeks, "Whoever you are, s-stop it! I d-don't think that way about anybody! Not Yukari-chan, not Aigis, not Mitsuru-senpai, not even Rise-chan! I'd never say those horrible things!"

Shadow Fuuka sniggered, then she fell into a horrible, full blown laugh, an evil cackle with no heart, and all malice, a sickening thing to hear from the screeching other self, **"Why? Whoever? Oh, you stupid, shallow, jealous bitch, I'm saying these horrible things because, as I said before, I'm you!"**

Fuuka let out a loud sob, and she fell to her knees then. She spoke clearly and with full intent, "No! No! Y-You can't… you won't… no, no! I would never really think those things! I…I…."

Labrys was the first to jump in, "Fuu, no!"

However, she was caught by Aigis, who simply watched. If Fuuka was looking, she would have seen a pitiful expression drawn over the blonde android's face.

She didn't know what Yosuke and Teddie were doing, and she didn't care. Koromaru, on the other hand, was whimpering.

Fuuka stared at the golden-eyed Fuuka, the evil, fake, plastic Fuuka, and yelled out her true thoughts, "_You're not me!_"

Shadow Fuuka was silent for a few seconds. Then, she grinned so wide, it looked like her cheeks would fall off. Then, she began to cackle, loud and clearly, a hauntingly loud laughter that roared through the closed building. A dark aura surrounded her, as Shadows began to pour in from the doors of the distorted dorm, and an explosion of pure power spread from aroud Shadow Fuuka.

The turbine caused was enough to send some chairs sprawling over, but soon, the dust cleared, revealing the Shadow's transformation.

All stared in shock at the transformed Shadow Fuuka. There was Juno, but instead of the mask she wore, she now had the wide, grinning expression of Shadow Fuuka, with fake, plastic lips, wide, darkened eyes with that golden glow, and her peacock shawl was tossed over her back, now enveloping her shoulders.

But that wasn't the most drastic change. Juno had a bubble for her body, but Shadow Fuuka's body was now replaced by a skeletal thin frame, so thin and mangled it barely resembled a human figure, or even anything close to human proportions. One thin leg was crossed over the other, and she arched her back, posing rather seductively. It was a horrifying sight, given the malformed shape of the Shadow's figure.

"T-That's Juno?!" cried Aigis, who rightly sounded quite horrified.

"Aw man… dis ain't good!" yelped Labrys.

Fuuka stared in horror over what Juno had become. Only now, did it really hit the poor girl.

She had rejected her own Persona.

Her whole body shook, and she barely pulled her arms back to put her hands over her dry lips, eyes wet with tears, as her body began to lose its strength. She could barely keep herself conscious, and soon enough, she felt she was going to collapse.

Tears only fell down her face. However, she snapped out of it as Aigis cocked her fingers, Labrys readied her battle axe, Yosuke twirled his kunai, Teddie sharpened his claws, and Koromaru snarled, and the five moved to approach the twisted Juno. Fuuka couldn't say anything, for now, her friends would have to face the Fuuka Yamagishi she never wanted anyone to see.

This must have been what the Inaba kids had gone through two years ago….

Shadow Fuuka, meanwhile, poised herself seductively, and snarled in a heavily distorted voice.

"**I am a Shadow… the true self… I won't be held down by beautiful people anymore… and you're going down first!"**

* * *

**Final Author Note: For those wondering about the 2ch comments, it's based off translations I've read. Enjoy, anyways!**


	14. Supermodel Dissonance

**Port 11: Supermodel Dissonance**

**Author Note: ST has a TV Tropes page now, thanks to ExtraSaber and ChrisX! Go check it out, the link's on my main page.**

_In this chapter: Juno isn't exactly a pretty girl…._

* * *

The distorted, twisted Shadow Self wavered loftily on her feet, her head leering to-and-fro, her skeletal, angular body twisting dainty. Her narrow hips swayed, almost hypnotically, and she began to speak, her voice filtered with a haunting echo.

"**Look at you beautiful people… making me feel so jealous… so insecure…."**

"Oh! This bear may be beautiful, but you shouldn't be so jealous! I'll save you, Fuu-chan!" growled Teddie. As he tensed up, a blue aura began to swirl around him, warping with overwhelming power. The bear growled, and his eyes took an intense shine to them as a rotating tarot card came to view, then he suddenly threw his hand past and shattered the card with his claw.

"Kamui!" yelled the bear. A bulbous shape came to being above Teddie, and its features took form: comical eyes on its head, what looked like a goofy grin, claws and paws, and what looked like a missile for its tail. "Now, Bufudyne!"

And so, the first thing the Persona did was fly up above Shadow Fuuka and raise its paws up, mist gathering in its hands. Kamui then threw his arms down, sending a blistering glacier careening towards the Shadow, but the strangest thing happened:

As the glacier fell onto Shadow Fuuka, it melted at a rapid pace. Teddie gritted his teeth and pulled his arms back, torqueing himself, then he spun towards Shadow Fuuka, his claws extended. The gangly Shadow only cackled, and swatted away Teddie with her hand. The bear went flying into the wall and shouted out in pain as it collapsed, leaving a hole, and trapping him in rubble.

"Ted!" cried Yosuke, and he turned to glare right at Shadow Fuuka. The boy tensed up, and he began to focus himself, bringing to mind his other self. The same blue, swirling aura began to flow around his radius, and Yosuke's eyes narrowed at the Shadow, "I'm countin' on you, Susano-o!" cried the boy. A glowing card materialized into thin air, causing Yosuke to spin around and clock the card with a hard blow, as the flame-haired entity dashed towards Shadow Fuuka like a white blur.

Susano-o bent his fist back, wind swirling around his fist. Shadow Fuuka turned over to the Persona, and she bent her back in a sickening way, dodging the hurricane punch, before her rib area began to crackle with electricity. The Garudyne from Susano-o's fist erupted forward, but slammed into the balcony, sending sawdust everywhere. The dust had cleared to reveal a chunk had been taken out, but Yosuke had no time to really assess the damage.

"**Hmhmhm~ you know, I always considered you rather hot~ such a shame you could never notice a pig like me~!"**

Shadow Fuuka's hands began to glow with lightning, and Yosuke, realizing what she planned to do, grit his teeth. He tried to have Susano-o crawl away, but Shadow Fuuka was too fast and her hands, in an arc of lightning, was about to plummet into Susano-o's chest….

However, the giant hand of a metallic titan grabbed Shadow Fuuka's hand, and after a purple glow and a fizzle, it was no more. The giant hand belonged to the armor-clad Persona of the Norse thunder god, Thor, and, from behind Thor's back, several missiles struck Shadow Fuuka with Thor still holding onto her.

Yosuke spun around to see Aigis, missile pads sprouted from her back, staring down Shadow Fuuka. "Aigis!" he grinned.

Aigis had a stone cold mechanical expression on her face, and spoke a whispered command, "Gigantic Hammer."

Shadow Fuuka made no reaction however, and chuckled as the smoke cleared, revealing the Shadow unharmed, yet still in Thor's grip. The thunder god silently raised his hammer, which sparked with electricity and light, then slammed it down on Shadow Fuuka's temple with such speed it was almost a blur to everyone's eyes.

And yet, after a piercing boom, the only sound left was Shadow Fuuka's cackling. Thor raised his hammer off Shadow Fuuka's head, but a howling gust and a sharp, cutting wind began to whirl around the Shadow, with Thor visibly weakening, and Aigis audibly grunting in slight pain. Labrys grunted, and was about to attack with her axe, but Shadow Fuuka placed her palms on Thor's chest and blasted him with a whirling turquoise tornado.

The blonde android screamed out in pain, and Thor vanished into blue fragments. A click could be heard from Aigis, and immediately, the figure of a Greek warrior came to view, her ceramic face and gleaming armor revealing her identity: Pallas Athena. This time, she charged towards Shadow Fuuka, her spear raised and her shield in front.

"Kill Rush!" yelled Aigis.

To follow up with that, Koromaru growled, and his muscles tensed, his legs visibly tightening up before he rushed right at the mangled Shadow. A figure erupted from within him, a three-headed dog, which rushed right at Shadow Fuuka, bearing its fangs. And from the Persona's mouth, came a bellowing stream of flames aimed to envelop Shadow Fuuka.

"Cerberus," Aigis nodded, before she pulled her arm back, pulling out a mini-gun. She grabbed hold of the handle, then unleashed a full round against the Shadow as Athena charged at Shadow Fuuka.

However, Shadow Fuuka only cackled, and she spun around to face Koromaru and Cerberus. She grinned, and held her hand out, **"Heh! You stupid dog… I know Cerberus' a dark type! And I know a fire spell when I see one!"**

The bellowing fire slammed into Shadow Fuuka's hand, but instead of enveloping her and incinerating her, it fizzled to smoke. Koromaru's eyes visibly widened, and Shadow Fuuka's leg glowed with a yellow shine. However, the intense brightness was enough to warn the canine, as when she kicked up, Koromaru threw himself to the side, the torque enough to barely dodge the Hama kick.

Aigis continued to pelt her with bullets, but it seemed the Shadow barely recognized the bullets at best. The android grunted and retracted the mini-gun, just as Shadow Fuuka turned over and glared at her. **"Fake little bitch… your stupid weapons don't do shit to me… just like how you're just scrap metal…."**

And when Athena tackled her, she grabbed hold of the spear, and this time pushed her hips forward, blasting Athena with an electrical surge. Aigis fell to the ground this time, shaking in pain. Teddie ran up to her, and Kamui emerged from behind him.

"I'll save you, Ai-chan! Diarahan!" he yelled, and a white glow surrounded Aigis. She got up, as good as new, and smiled warmly at Teddie.

However then, Shadow Fuuka threw a series of Maragidynes at them, while Yosuke blocked them and winced at the slight burning his arms got, the rest all managed to dodge.

Still trying to recover from nearly getting hit by that Ziodyne and the slight damage from the blocked Maragidyne, Yosuke gasped, and gritted his teeth, rather agitated at how things were going, "Damnit! How can we beat her if she's like this…?!"

"Den how 'bout 'dis?!" when Shadow Fuuka turned around, she saw Labrys practically flying in the air, her battle axe hoisted behind her shoulders, the joints in her arms whirling. Labrys heaved forward and slammed her battle axe onto Shadow Fuuka, who caught it with both hands almost nonchalantly.

"**Heh… you're even more pathetic then your sister… you're just pieces of junk, both of you…!"**

Shadow Fuuka then twisted her ankle and back to an unnatural bend, like a deformed model. Electricity crackled around her wrist and onto Labrys, using her axe as the conduct, and Labrys struggled momentarily. But when she was zapped, Labrys yelled out in pain and went limp. Shadow Fuuka, with a twisted grin, spun her wrist and forced it down so Labrys would be slammed head-first onto the floor, which would do immense damage.

Luckily, before Shadow Fuuka could do so, a white, maiden-like figure, with medieval style remnants on her legs and shoulders, Ariadne, evoked and charged at Shadow Fuuka while wrapped in the lined visage of a bull. Surprised, the Shadow dropped Labrys, and Ariadne scooped her up, coasting away from the frail beast.

Now that Shadow Fuuka was distracted, Yosuke looked over to Teddie, and grinned, "Here's our chance, Ted!"

Teddie nodded, and they both charged at the confused Shadow, their steps fast and light, their feet practically soaring past the floor. Teddie bounced into the air while aiming at Shadow Fuuka's malformed ribs, torqued his small body, and extended his claws, spinning into a drill.

At the same time, Yosuke basically kicked the air and soared over Shadow Fuuka's head. The Shadow had kept her eyes on him, however, but Yosuke grinned: all according to plan. After he flew past her, he then twisted around and slashed at her face with his kunai, at the same time the Teddie Tornado smashed into her ribs.

And just to add to that, Labrys put her hand out, and Ariadne, her Persona, spread her arms out. From beneath Shadow Fuuka's feet, rows of spike-like swords emerged, and stabbed right into her. Shadow Fuuka grunted out loudly, her blood flowing down onto the magic blades, but she kept her sinister grin.

While she stumbled back from the slash to the face and the blunt impact on her ribs, and to lead up to the assault, Yosuke flipped back and summoned Susano-o, whose sawblade began to spin around, glowing yellow, "Masukukaja!" he yelled.

Yosuke felt his whole body ease up and lighten, like he could actually soar in the air. Everyone else had the same glow, which Labrys and Koromaru took advantage of immediately.

The silver-haired android rushed at the groggy Shadow Fuuka, rearing her arms back, her axe glowing crimson. A whirling whine of gears screamed around the room, Labrys yelled out and followed up with a brutal slash of her axe directed at Shadow Fuuka's stomach. Shadow Fuuka went flying from the impact and smashed into the wall.

A white blur immediately soared past Labrys, barely identified as Koromaru, and cut right down the Shadow's body with his knife, causing blood to spill out.

The demented Shadow only yelled out, and her arms and legs spasmed with pain and fury. Yosuke began to feel a little more comfortable, they'd grown so strong that they could actually beat her!

"H-Hey, we can actually do this! Ya hear…" however, when he turned around, Aigis was still on guard. The blonde android's eyes were narrowed at where Shadow Fuuka stood, and when she caught sight of him, he almost flinched at the stern glare she gave him.

"Yosuke-san! Don't let your guard down!"

"**Maziodyne!"**

Suddenly, purple lightning bolts flew from Shadow Fuuka's body, and slammed into the entire group. Yosuke roared out in pain, being weak to electricity, and Teddie fell to the floor, Aigis spasmed erratically, and same went with Labrys. He bit his lip: four out of five were weak to electricity!

While Koromaru wasn't as affected, when he summoned Cerberus, who responded with a terrifically hot fireball aimed directly at Shadow Fuuka, she again blocked it with a hand, and this time, with the same hand and a flick of her wrist, phased a freezing beam at Koromaru cold enough for the dog to whine in pain and start shivering.

Yosuke and the rest, however, were still grounded from the electricity. Shadow Fuuka walked over closer to them, and grinned sadistically, plainly satisfied that things were going her way.

"**I'm gonna torture you beautiful people… make you as ugly as me… Mazionga!"**

A weaker, but still very painful, burst of electricity hit all of them. They all shouted in pain, and he swore that Aigis' voice was starting to buzz with each further Zio spell that hit them.

"S-Sis! Change yer Persona or somethin'!" cried Labrys.

Aigis slowly turned her head, her body barely able to move, "I-I can't… I need to focus…!" she moaned.

Yosuke's legs were about to falter. He couldn't stay on his feet, and his arms strained with pain, his hands almost dropping his kunai several times. He, painfully, turned his head to look at Teddie, who was on his knees, and Labrys, who was using her axe to support herself. His heart sank at Labrys in particular, her eyes wrinkling with pain, and her breathing hard. Koromaru was whimpering painfully, and while Aigis was clearly still up on her feet, she too was starting to strain, and her expression was certainly pained.

Then another Maziodyne was thrown at them. Yosuke roared in pain and he fell to his knees, while sick short-circuiting could be heard crackling from the two androids, echoed with Labrys' howl and Aigis' screech. Teddie grunted, but then he collapsed, on the verge of unconsciousness. Koromaru whined, but when Shadow Fuuka threw a glowing ball of Hamaon at the dog, he dodged it by a _silver_ this time.

"Damnit… we can't die… not like this…!" Yosuke suddenly saw not just his friends, but the smiling faces of Saki and Yukari. His hands grasped his kunai tightly, ignoring how his palms were starting to open up and seep blood from the injuries, as he thought about his memories with Saki, how she had fallen, and how he had hurt Yukari.

He wanted to see her again. He wanted to apologize.

Yosuke gritted his teeth, and tried to stand up, but the voltage coursing through his body caused him to fall down before too long. He gasped painfully from the edges of his throat, and tried to grip his kunai as hard as he could, while his aching muscles worked to overdrive just to get him on his feet.

"I… I can still fight…!" Yosuke grunted. That only got the attention of the Shadow, who put a skeletal arm across her chest and laughed, her peacock shawl wavering in the air as she cackled.

"**You idiot… you think you're some super guy, and ignore me for everyone else… you ignored me for that bitch, didn't you?!"**

The peacock shawl lifted high into the air, dancing with electricity, and Yosuke could feel particles heating up. Dread came over him… if this hit, he was dead. He was already in tremendous pain, and he wasn't sure if this Ziodyne would either kill him, or just knock him out.

Images of his life, his friends, and his days with the Investigation Team flashed through his head. He prepared to say goodbye, when….

Suddenly, a roar was heard, and a three-headed dog clashed with Shadow Fuuka, all three heads bellowing scorching, twisting flames that licked at Shadow Fuuka. While the Shadow whipped out a barrier of wind to protect herself and throw the flames away, Aigis was the next to arise, and from her shoulders came two missile pads.

The hailstorm of missiles was launched against Shadow Fuuka, who then placed two hands out. A magical vacuum emerged, and Shadow Fuuka grinned as the missiles were redirected and flew back directly towards Aigis. Aigis' thigh rockets then burst open, and with inhuman speed, dodged the rockets at the split second, leaving several small craters dotted around where she once stood.

She had a sad smile on her face, and she silently gestured to Koromaru, who nodded.

But then, Koromaru, who had been operating Cerberus while shaking off the damage, narrowed his brows. His legs poised, his tail wagged, and he gripped his knife in his mouth even tighter. He then burst into an explosive dash, building up speed as Shadow Fuuka continued to wrestle with Cerberus, who was trying to bite her and blast her with funnels of Agidyne.

It didn't take a second later for Yosuke to realize what Koromaru had planned, "Dude, no! There's gotta be a-"

"Dis alright, man… Koro knows what he's doin'…" the familiar accent let Yosuke know that Labrys was alright, and he felt a wave of relief wash through him, as he listened, "he decided he's gonna get rid of Shadow Fuuka for all of us, so we can get to the others…."

"Ooooh!" Teddie moaned as he struggled to get up, "Me and Koro didn't get to a good start, but I hope he pulls through!"

Shadow Fuuka by now had grabbed hold of Cerberus, and had aimed a Hamaon right below it. The glowing hole appeared, and the holy signs began to circle around Cerberus. Yosuke was about to react, but then, Kamui came forth and fired out a hail blizzard right at Shadow Fuuka, which made her wrap her shoulders in flames to defend herself.

But, this left her vulnerable, and it was then that Yosuke realized the plan. He looked at Teddie, who gave him a thumbs up and an innocent smile in response.

"**You… goddamn… mongrel! You ugly little…! Stop struggling!" **yelled Shadow Fuuka. But, as the Hamaon started, and the pillar of light began to emerge:

Koromaru leaped, and tore Shadow Fuuka in half with a blurring slash right through the midsection. It was a beautiful hit, and Shadow Fuuka stared in shock as her upper body briefly floated in the air.

"**You… are all ugly…!"**

"We did it!" cheered Labrys.

Shadow Fuuka, overwhelmed by the assault, screamed out shrill. Her body had given out by then, and she collapsed to the floor, collapsing into a pile of dark, smoke-like essence. She was defeated.

But nobody's attention was on the fallen Shadow. Now, it was on the injured dog. Koromaru's legs were wobbly, and Cerberus could be seen behind him, flickering to-and-fro from solid form to spiritual particles, then back again. They all knew it was a miracle Koromaru was still standing, given the power of Hama-based techniques.

Teddie put his hands to his mouth in shame, and Labrys was biting her lip. Yosuke turned his head to her, and frowned: he did feel that he wanted to comfort her, but his thoughts were pushed aside by Aigis, who rushed to Koromaru, clearly worried about the dog.

"K-Koromaru-san!" Aigis yelled in horror. The dog weakly turned around to the blonde android, and barked happily… then his legs gave out, and he fell to the floor.

* * *

Fuuka had watched the entire fight from the sidelines, her heart in her mouth, her cheeks stained with tears, as her mind went through the entire battle.

Everybody fought so hard. They were willing to fight her darker side, the corrupted Juno, the side of her that was just so jealous, that she feared she couldn't compete. She felt so horrible, especially since Yosuke and Teddie, two people she had only known for a few days, were willing to go in and save her.

Fuuka got even more upset when she thought about it: her powers, which she had tried to use for good, were used by her darker side to cause harm to her friends. Had it not been for Koromaru's sacrifice, they might have very well been killed…!

Cold sweat eased down Fuuka's forehead, and she wiped it away, trying to keep it from her eyes, which were already wet with tears. Everything that had happened in the span of 15 minutes was so disturbing… first, she actually went to the Midnight Channel, then, she encountered that hideous Shadow wearing her face and humiliating her.

Then, after all that… and now that she thought about it… what the Shadow was saying, was true. She was jealous. She wanted to be seen as beautiful, as equal to the rest of her friends. She was, indeed, just wanting a chance to be seen as attractive as Mitsuru or Yukari. And in fact, she was not pleased over Ms. Junes, especially since it meant Yukari was loved by _everyone_ now.

And especially Mitsuru. Fuuka began to tear up again, and sniffled to herself, as everyone turned their heads to her.

She only looked down, not wanting their disapproval.

"It's okay, Fuuka-san. You don't have to fear our disapproval… we're here."

Aigis' voice, now incredibly gentle, caught Fuuka's attention. She looked up, and saw Aigis, Labrys, Yosuke and Teddie all smiling at her with genuine happiness. The bear in particular stood up, and cheered.

"Fuu-chan, you may be jealous, but I think you're a bear-y hot stud as you are right now! You're such a cutie pie!" Teddie spouted. Humorously to her, Yosuke groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Ted, stop trying to score," a deadpan Yosuke muttered. The timing of it all made Fuuka giggle, there really was a friendship between the two.

Teddie only huffed, "Well, at least I'm not trying to score with Yuka-chan!" the response shut Yosuke right up, and he was left angrily stammering with red cheeks.

Even so, Teddie's praise did lift her spirits up, but she put her hands across her chest, and grasped the opposite arm with each, "Even so… I don't think you're being for real…" muttered Fuuka, unable to keep the wide frown off her lips.

"Naw, Fuu. Ted's for real," Labrys said seriously, "listen ta me... you saw how the whole Shadow thing went down with me last year, right?" the silver-haired android's expression and vocal patterns took more melancholic tones as she continued, "All that strife, that mental trauma, repackaged into a monster like that… it's real tough to accept. Especially when it's about… all that… but…" the android took a bit to compose herself, and breathed in, "you're a good person, and ya just need to work over this jealousy when it's all over."

Fuuka gasped, and thought about Labrys' words. She then turned to the disorientated Shadow Fuuka, and gulped, her eyebrows lifting in fright and shame. As comforting as they were, Shadow Fuuka was so frightening, and….

"Yamagishi-san… Fuuka…" Yosuke was the next to speak up, "we saw your darker side, but that doesn't mean we're gonna judge you… I mean, I made that mistake, judging someone over their Shadow. But you're still that nice girl I met at Junes, the one I took shopping. The girl I almost died eating food from," and even then, instead of guilt, the smile on Yosuke's face only made her laugh instead, "and yeah…."

Fuuka was finding herself more and more willing to accept Shadow Fuuka, and when Aigis spoke, it confirmed her resolution to face herself.

"Fuuka-san… you're a good person. You have flaws, but so does everybody… and so, you can accept that, and work to overcome them, and be a better person… that's what we all promised three years ago, isn't it?"

And now, Fuuka couldn't help a sad smile spread across her face. Aigis was right. They were all right. And so, with bravery surging forward, Fuuka turned to face Shadow Fuuka, who was now back in the black dress and the high heels, and the sloppy makeup.

She couldn't help but hesitate in her steps. She was so scared, so troubled to accept this beast. But, everyone had seen it, and still didn't hate Fuuka herself. Fuuka gasped, and gulped down the contents in her stomach. She had to be brave. She knew what she needed to accept, and despite being a parody, Fuuka knew those elements of her were true.

The girl walked over to the dazed, yellow-eyed doppelganger, and she lowered her head, smiling sadly.

"... yes. I do understand. I... I did feel jealous, because... no matter how hard I tried, I always felt ignored. That nobody wanted to pay attention to me. No matter how pretty I tried to make myself, that... that nobody would care, and would go to other people, like Yukari-chan. I felt so bad about myself, that I was angry. But... but I get it now. This is me. You... you are me... It doesn't matter if you're not pretty, or attractive... that doesn't matter at all. People should love you for who you are... I have friends for who I am! And they're your friend too... you're me... and I'm you..."

Shadow Fuuka, after staring at Fuuka for a few seconds, then broke into a sincere smile and nodded her head. Then, she dissipated into a warm blue, and rose up as the gentle protector, Juno, with her bubble, her face mask, her long green hair and her peacock shawl intact. Fuuka's face split into a wide grin, to finally see her other self in its purified form, and yet, for some reason, she felt stronger as her Persona filtered back into her.

Everyone was all smiles, even the wounded Koromaru barked weakly in joy. This made Fuuka pleased… although she had hurt everyone, she had control over herself, and her emotions.

The girl closed her eyes and put her hand to her heart, resonated with her true self once more.

"Welcome home, Juno…."

* * *

"W-What… what is this place…" muttered Yukari as she looked around the strange hotel. When she had woken up, there was this strange, otherworldly atmosphere that wrapped around her, "is this that… Midnight Channel….?"

She hardly had any idea how she got in there. She had fallen asleep soon after yelling at Junpei, so she thought, but then in her dreams, she felt like she was floating, like some weird sensation tingled down her spine. Yukari clutched her tanktop, and shuddered, glad that she had fallen asleep in her usual clothes.

It was a strange, foggy, otherwise _unreal_ atmosphere. Her memories flickered, and she felt a pang in her heart as she recalled something she could never forget, especially as it was so connected to _him_.

Tartarus.

This was like Tartarus… only, instead of being cold, silent and dark, it was foggy, hazy, a little warm, even, and rather lit, despite the darkly lit hotel corridors. And if it were like Tartarus… then there would be Shadows.

She had fought Shadows as an Operatives member, but even then, she had been called only for part-time work. Isis was still powerful, but at least Yukari always had the protection of a bow in her hands, and a quiver of arrows on her back. She was completely empty-handed at this point of time.

And worst of all, she had no way to defend herself. At least, the Shadows here were supposed to be tame, said Teddie….

However, by instinct, Yukari held a breath when she saw the familiar signs of the Shadows rising. Dark liquid began to slither and smoke on the floor, and Yukari watched with widening eyes, her shoulders tensing.

She could fight them. She had to.

Several Shadows gathered. A pool of darkness clumped together, and from within the dark abyss, came forth the forms. Two were strange, lion-esque beasts, whose names skipped her right now, and the other, or what seemed to be the leader, was an Avenger Knight. The Shadows began to approach her, the Knight raising its lance, and the lions snarling as they dragged their balled chains beside them.

Yukari frowned. First, she had to get stuck in this weird place inside the TV, and now, she had to fight Shadows. Well, she only had the clothes on her back, but she did know from Mitsuru and Aigis that this weird place may be where Shadows are created, and by that logic, Personas, too.

The brunette focused herself, preparing for the summoning, "Shadows, huh? You picked the wrong girl to mess with…" Yukari psyched herself, and prepared. She prepared for the burst of adrenaline, the lifting feeling, the power of summoning her Persona. Her eyes narrowed, her fists balled together, and she stood up tall, "I'll show you my true power!"

'_Isis!'_

But nothing happened. Not even a surge of energy. Not even the blue, flowing aura that usually surrounded her. Yukari's eyes widened, and the Shadows only got closer and closer, their ethereal shouts getting eerier and eerier. Yukari felt a shiver crawl down her spine all the way to her toes, and she almost froze on the spot.

But wait, fear was the key to summoning a Persona, right? She was afraid. Maybe, just maybe, she could pull off a summoning. It was the best she could do… after all… she had no Evoker with her….

'_Help me! Isis, help me!'_

Her fear pressed down on the walls of her mind, her teeth chattering. Yukari, doing all she could, reached within the sea of her soul, and tried to pull out Isis. She had to. She needed her help. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, not even imaging Isis in her mind could bring forth the Egyptian healer. And again, there was no blue glow, nor even a rush of energy. Her Persona had completely vanished from her mind. It was gone.

What happened to her Persona? Where was Isis? She needed her help!

She began to shake, beads of cold sweat falling down her forehead, down the bridge of her nose. She was helpless. She instinctively grabbed at her back, and then mentally smacked herself when she realized she had no bow. She had no arrows. She had nothing to defend herself with.

She couldn't fight. She was helpless. She was now a wounded woman, unable to fight back, just a hunt for the hunters.

Without a second's loss, Yukari turned and ran for it. Her steps shook with fear, her long legs thrust forward, carpet collecting at her feet as she ran. She didn't dare look back. She couldn't look at the Shadows now, as brave as she usually was, she had no way of fighting back. That split-second delay could be the end of her life if she dared stall.

The monsters behind her snarled and twitched, oozing and just dying to consume her. She was so afraid, to the point where tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes, and she sobbed, her heart heaving with pain and guilt.

She told him she would fight, right? That she would live her life to the fullest.

That was a lie. Deep down, that was all it was. A lie. And now, she had nowhere to turn to. She was alone, frightened, hurt, and in despair.

The frightened young woman, although subconsciously knowing that her thoughts were deluded, cried out for the boy she loved, her savior, the one who made everything better. She needed him. Only he could solve all her problems… to be in his warmth once more… he was protecting them forever now, right?

'_Help me… Minato… please help me, Minato-kun!'_

* * *

Aigis had spoken on their current situation as they opened the first door, which had a love heart printed on.

"Koromaru-san will stay by the portal. He'll be the first to notify anyone if our search goes badly."

Upon opening the first door, the group was confronted with a sight that brought up mixed feelings within the group. While Aigis, Labrys and Fuuka either rolled their eyes or blushed, Yosuke and Teddie couldn't help wide, perverted grins. It was in the middle of a dark, foggy city road, and capturing everyone's attention was a large neon billboard attached to a seedy-looking hotel.

'_**Yuka-tan's Love Love Paradise Hotel'**_

Fuuka gasped, and her cheeks went a little red. Yosuke raised his brows, "What's wrong, Fuuka-san?"

The green-haired girl then put a finger to her braid, and began twirling it around rather anxiously, "Um, you see… it reminds me of something that happened four years ago…" she paused, her face going redder, "it was… very awkward…."

Aigis stepped forward, and with no tact whatsoever, responded, "Yukari-san and Minato-san were hypnotized by Shadows, and almost became intimate with each other during a mission."

Fuuka's face went scarlet red, and Yosuke couldn't blame her. In fact, his own face burst into a heated red, and he shivered in his sneakers.

"Oh wow! Did Minato-sensei score big time with Yuka-chan?" the enthusiastic Teddie cheered. Even Labrys was starting to go red in the face, and if Yosuke swore, he saw a dash of pink appearing on Aigis' cheeks.

"Um..." Fuuka paused, obviously trying to recover from a dizzy, flustered spell, "n-no… luckily…."

Yosuke didn't know what to say. Of course, he knew about Minato being Yukari's boyfriend before his death, but hearing about that, how Yukari had almost made love to him under the Shadow's influence, was enough to make his heart sink. He had to accept it, of course, but it did hurt.

It was like when he heard Saki was actually planning to move to a city with a college boyfriend of hers. He accepted it, but he didn't want to hear it.

He spun his kunai around his fingers, and shook his head slightly, easing off his headphones. "… Come on, let's go," muttered Yosuke.

* * *

Weirdly enough, there had been a certain lack of Shadows in the area. There had been a few Shadows, like a Lovers Serpent, or a few Maya types, but it was pretty much empty. However, Yosuke did notice something as they ventured deeper into the dungeon: glowing cracks started appearing around the floor and walls. At first, there were just a few cracks popping around the corners and in brief blasts, but with each hallway and door they walked through, the groves got deeper, thicker, and the glowing became stronger.

Soon enough, the cracks were appearing everywhere, and even linked to each other. Yosuke looked around the hallways awkwardly, and then stopped in his tracks. He pursed his lips, in fact he was curious as to what this meant, as he hadn't seen distortion like this back in his adventures….

Aigis looked over to him, but her eyes spoke a different story. She bit her lip, and when Yosuke looked to Fuuka, she put her hands to her chest, and her forehead was even glistening slightly with sweat. Then came voices, obviously of Yukari's voice. It sounded haunted, and switched from sadness, to denial, to anger, to despair.

"_It's my fault… I let him down….!"_

"_I can't move on… I can't move on!"_

"_Why does everyone keep telling me to move on!? He died, but I can still think about him!"_

"_I WANT TO SEE HIM AGAIN!"_

"Don't tell me this is about… Yukari-chan and… no, Aigis…" Fuuka gasped, and the worry in her eyes was really attracting Yosuke's curiousity.

Before Aigis could say anything, however, a girlish giggle echoed across the hallway. Aigis' eyes widened, "That sounds like… my sensors indicate… Yukari-san!"

That immediately got Yosuke's attention. Yukari? So this really was Yukari's Shadow dungeon… and the voices got louder, as the lights seemed to dim further. Then, a saxophone blared a high note, and music suitable for a porn, with a groove base line and a steady drumbeat, bounced off the room as the Shadow made her appearance.

First, a teasing leg. Yosuke's eyes almost popped out and he felt his heart skip a beat, that light skin tone, those slender thighs and calves, and his jaw almost dropped when the figure slinked around and showed herself to all.

A slender, long-legged figure popped around from behind the corner. Like on the TV, her body was covered only by a pink towel, while everything else was clear to the eye. Yosuke barely noted her face, instead busy staring at her smooth legs, his face growing redder by the second.

"It's Yukari-chan's Shadow!" cried Fuuka. When Yosuke did pay attention to her face, he frowned, seeing it was indeed the doppelganger. It was like Rise's Shadow, in a way: hot body, but the face was just off-putting.

Shadow Yukari had the glowing golden eyes of the Shadows, the eerie light highlighting planes of her face. Her mouth was twisted into a grimacing grin, showing white, pearly, yet fanged teeth. But when she saw who was looking at her, though, she had a haughty tone of voice and a generally arrogant expression of both facial and body language.

And something noticeable was a blue-haired plushy of a boy in uniform under her arm. She lifted it up and hugged it close, and while he didn't know, he had an idea of who it was.

"Dun tell me… she got a Minato doll…" Labrys muttered, her tone actually rather pitiful. The Shadow then gritted her teeth with a heated glare at the group.

"**Oh look, it's that bitch Aigis and her posse."**

Aigis simply frowned. The Shadow continued, and glared at all of them, one-by-one, with extra hostility aimed towards Aigis. In fact, it seemed like the sadder aspect of her expression were highlighted when she looked at the android.

"**What're you losers doing here?! Cuz I'm on the lookout for love!"**

"Ooooh, scoring some hot studs!" said Teddie happily. But Shadow Yukari growled, and snarled viciously at the bear. Everyone, especially Teddie, reeled back at the sheer hostility the glare held for everyone.

"**Not like a shitty bear like you! I'm in love, and the man I love is so much better then all of you! You could say he's to **_**die**_** for, tee hee~!"** the Shadow giggled, cocking her leg up proactively with a coy grin. Yosuke couldn't resist ogling that long, slender leg, with that dainty foot, and… his inner train was interrupted by Shadow Yukari's snarling again, **"I'll show everyone what true love is all about! I'll let everyone know how much I love Minato-sama! And you can't stop me! So don't even try!"**

And then, the brunette Shadow winked and blew a kiss to all of them, **"Well, I must be off now~ toodles!"**

And as the final insult, she smugly smirked at Aigis before she smashed her lips onto the Minato plushy. After a few disgusting seconds, Shadow Yukari looked back to them, and snarled arrogantly, before skipping into the hallway of the hotel.

Yosuke only sighed, "That's Takeba-san's Shadow…? Man…"

"She was bear-y mean! Oh, I'll get her back for that!" huffed a cross Teddie.

Fuuka bit her lip, and looked over to Aigis, "A-Aigis… you don't think… this is about…."

Aigis immediately shot Fuuka a look, but it wasn't a harsh one: it was one that spoke of sadness, guilt and regret. This interested Yosuke, and he cocked an eyebrow as she whispered, "I… I hope not… she can't go through fighting her friends again…."

Yosuke thought his breath got stuck in his throat, and he gulped. Wait, she wasn't in the tournament last year! What did Aigis mean, by Yukari fighting her friends? "W-Wait, what?" stuttered Yosuke, "What do ya mean?"

Labrys bit her lower lip, and looked at Aigis with harrowed, wide eyes. Fuuka also shuffled awkwardly, and put her hands to her lips. "Aigis…" Fuuka muttered softly, "should…."

Teddie, however, growled and flexed his muscles with a cross expression, "Hm! I may not know Yuka-chan well, but I know she's a good girl, and she'd never hurt her friends! Because friends are friends forever!"

Whatever Aigis, Labrys and Fuuka had in mind, they dropped it, with awkward smiles of varying authecinity at Teddie's behavior. Labrys actually had a genuine smile on her face, "Dat's right, Ted! We go through our hardships, but friends are friends!"

Aigis had the falsest smile, and Yosuke raised his brows, rather curious as to what seemed to be troubling her conscious. Not one to be quiet, Yosuke nodded to Aigis so he gained her attention, "So, what happened with Takeba-san back then? I mean, she wasn't in that tournament last year. That was just you, Akihiko-san and Mitsuru-san…."

The blonde android's cerulean eyes flickered with shame, "… I'll tell you some other time."

He wasn't satisfied with the answer, so Yosuke just awkwardly frowned. After what happened last afternoon, he wasn't going to push anything like that again, "Yeah, sure."

Yosuke's thoughts drifted towards other ideas, like, what if that had been _him_ that Shadow Yukari seemed to be obsessed with? Well, he wasn't dead, so that was something, but what if…?

What if Yukari loved him like he loved her?

* * *

Yukari's legs pumped as fast as they could, and right now, she was glad she kept up running after Tartarus. Her cardio let her keep up her pace, thankfully, and her fear kept her accelerating past the hallways.

She barely recognized the familiarity of the place, or the cracks appearing in increasing fashion.

She was desperate. She needed an escape. Luckily, she soon saw a pink door, a large one, with handles and all. It looked like it was a V.I.P. room. And so, Yukari, with no other choice, groaned and ran for it. She opened the door, slid between the small crack, and then closed it.

When she turned around however, what she saw was enough to take her breath away, and this time, she was really creeped out.

It was a large hotel room, with torches settled on the dark pink walls, hot pink flames flickering and dancing. The entire room smelt of incense, like a couple had booked the night and were preparing to spend a night of passion together, as lovers….

The thought brought a pang of pain to Yukari's heart. She thought about Minato, about Junpei, about Yosuke, but Minato was the one she could truly think about. She looked around, cocking her eyebrows at the strange, cheesy room. A series of white Greek-style pillars decorated the end of the room, pink, translucent curtains draped from each, but what caught her interest was the giant TV on one wall.

Yukari's eyes widened at the movie, if you could call it that.

It was the sight of a female in bed, her naked, sweaty back arching beneath the bed sheets. Her voice, light and chirpy, hissed in pleasure, and the camera began to zoom out. It then focused on her feet, her toes curling and splaying. Then, it showed that the woman was on a bed, and she was with a man.

The man was a teenage boy with blue hair. The boy had wide, gray eyes, and a vulnerable expression. Yukari gasped, her face dropped in shock.

"M-Minato-kun!" then, her face creased in anger, "How would… where would they get footage of Minato, and…."

When the focus went on the woman, Yukari gasped. The same short brown hair, the same pierced ears, the same pink lips… it was herself! "Me!?" yelled Yukari, her eyes wide open.

Then, she heard cackling laughter. It was feminine, yet cheery, mocking, and bitchy.

"**So, you came, huh, you obsessed slut?"**

The shower door opened, and out came a long legged, slender figure, wrapped in a pink towel. The figure turned her back, and seductively walked over to the bed, which was cut in a love heart shape, with red duvets and a pink blanket, and twirled her butt rather seductively, before she sat down on it and kicked her feet innocently as she faced Yukari.

When the girl turned her head around, Yukari almost screamed. This girl had her _exact_ face, and her hair was immaculate and light brown just like her own hair. She had full eyelashes, but her eyes were jerked open and showed the entire iris, which, instead of a healthy milky brown, glowed an eerie topaz color. Her glossed, full lips were spread into a wide smirk, the corners of her lips tucked in too tightly.

She crossed her long, sleek legs, one leg over the other, hiding her crotch along with her towel. The doppelganger then gave a half-lidded, sultry look to Yukari, and hugged her Minato plushy close to her. Then, she stood up, and began to walk.

"**The only person worth anything in this world is Minato-sama… without him… this world is nothing! I'm an obsessed slut, just like you!"**

Yukari stood there, watching the strange figure, clad in only a pink towel, her perky hips swaying to-and-fro with each step. She pressed her lips in confusion and anger at such slutty behavior, but what really got her was the _face_ of the person. The measurements, too, fitted with her own figure.

The girl had _her_ face. _Her _hair. _Her_ eyes. But this girl's eyes were a strange topaz, and her lips were crossed into an alluring, yet far too wide smirk. Yukari furrowed her eyebrows, and tensed her shoulders, "Huh… who are you…?"

The fake Yukari stroked the Minato plushy in her grip, and smirked cockily, **"Looks like the little bitch doesn't even know herself~"**

Then, it clicked. Yukari's lips pressed into a tight, disdainful scowl, "Myself?! What the hell?!"

Then everything went to hell once she heard the door slam open. Yukari turned her head, and her heart sank to see who it was. "A-Aigis! L-Labrys! Fuuka?!" and she saw the other two figures, and her eyes widened, "Hanamura?! Teddie?!"

Yosuke had tried to dash forward towards her, but he stopped. His eyes looked lost, horrified, and his arms shook. Then, when he focused on the real Yukari's eyes, there was a shine to them. He almost smiled.

Yukari looked down from him… deep down though, she actually felt a small comfort from the way he looked at her.

"**Oh, it's that bitch Ai and her little group, with that wannabe president bitch Labby, that ugly little geek Fuuka, that virgin loser Hanamura, and that useless bear Teddie! What're you gonna do, you gonna take Minato-sama away from me?! You'll never take him away!"**

Yukari gave her the same hard stare everyone else was giving the Shadow. While the brunette held only anger towards the Shadow right now, she wouldn't say it, but she was afraid. This girl could wear her face like a natural mask, and with the way she acted, it scared her.

What else would she say? What else would she do? Yukari waited with baited breath, as she and the others stared at the personification of Yukari Takeba's fears and darkest secrets, her Shadow….


	15. Shadow of the Lover

**Port 12: Shadow of the Lover**

**Apologies for the long encounter. There was a lot of stuff I had to get through, as you'll see below.**

_In this chapter: Yukari is face-to-face with her darkest demons, who is intent on breaking her._

* * *

There she was, the Shadow of Yukari, the fears and inner trauma of her personified. The inverse of her Persona, the reversed Lovers, and all Yukari herself could do was stare in shock, her eyes widening further and further.

It looked like her. It walked like her. It talked like her. It even smelt like her.

Was this what those kids from Inaba had to deal with all year?

She could do nothing but stare, her confusion overwhelming her anger and fear, but the Shadow responded with a harsh, cocky smirk. **"So, can't say anythin', huh? Well, I'm gonna get some people talkin'~!"**

She heard a chuckle from Teddie, and when she looked over her shoulder, she saw Yosuke's face completely red, sweat visibly peeling down his forehead. Yukari even held down a gulp when Yosuke looked over to the strange movie, and his whole face went beetroot red. "Don't tell me they're actually enjoying this…" she moaned to herself.

Shadow Yukari then threw a plushy away, put a hand to her chest, grabbing hold of the towel, and slinked off over to a folded curtain. She walked behind it, and the pink towel was thrown to hang over the top. Yukari watched with baited breath, not wanting to know what this strange Shadow was going to do next, while, when she looked over to Yosuke and Teddie, she saw blood pouring from their nose. She rolled her eyes. Perverts.

When she looked at the plushy, she felt sick, and her heart thumped painfully, seeing it was indeed a cheap plush doll of her love, Minato.

Yukari then choked in horror when she saw the other Yukari walking out, draped in the pink cardigan, the short black skirt, the black stockings, and the brown loafers. What particularly disturbed her was seeing the familiar red armband tied around her left arm, that only members of S.E.E.S. had, and the holster around her right thigh.

Shadow Yukari pointed to the red band around her arm, and grinned in self-approval, **"You see? This is proof that I'm a part of S.E.E.S.! I must take **_**really**_** good care of S.E.E.S. or else Minato-sama would get angry with meeeee~! I **_**really**_** love being part of S.E.E.S., because that gives me an excuse to hang around Minato-sama like a horny little puppy~! Tee hee~!"**

The brunette narrowed her eyes at her doppelganger, and tried to speak, but no matter how much her lips would move, her throat couldn't vocalize the words. Until she finally managed to bring out a baited sentence, "H-How… what the hell…" she recovered herself, and her eyebrows narrowed, "how did you get my school uniform!?"

Shadow Yukari's wide, unnatural smile quivered slightly, **"Hey, you can find it easy if you look around. They're as easy to find as Mommy's clothes."**

Yukari balled her hands into fists, and scowled, "Don't _ever_ say that!"

"**Hell, you probably still wear them when no one's looking. Given you're totally obsessed with the past and all."**

She stomped the floor angrily at the accusations, "I do not! What the hell's your problem, accusing me with all this?!"

**"But ya know how the saying goes, like mother, like daughter! After Minato-sama's death, I looked for a man to fill the void! First I dated Stupei, when he proves worthless, I go dating a bunch of random guys at Mommy's insistence. Then I look at this Hanamura loser, then when he pisses me off, I'm thinking to whore myself out another way! That's why you became a model in the first place, wasn't it?!"**

Yukari froze. Wait, how did this fake know all this? She and Junpei weren't the most public when they were dating, they kept on arguing in public and only got affectionate in private. "No! I never… it's not like that, liar!"

"**Feh! I want love so much, that I never cared about Daddy in the end! I just loved being with Minato-sama, as his love doll!"**

To hear her father mocked like that, Yukari's entire body started to shake with anger, at this fake making her out to be a fool, "How the hell would I think that?!" she snarled, "I love Dad! I always will, no matter how long it's been!"

But the Shadow put a hand against Yukari's nose, and snorted, **"I mean, why not? You're such a little slut in denial! I mean, seriously, you got with **_**Stupei**_**, and did the **_**bang bang**_**, if you know what I mean."**

Yosuke audibly gulped. Yukari paid no heed to him, instead, her face darkening in anger.

"Shut up!" the enraged Yukari yelled, "You're one to talk! Talking about Minato in that fashion, with a towel around you! Screw you!"

**"Without Minato-sama, I'm weak! I'm just a useless little whore who's willing to show herself for fame and glory, because without Minato-sama, I'm nothing! College and Ms. Junes is just an excuse to 'live my life to the fullest', when really the truth is, I can't handle life without him! Everyone's just too scared to kick Nyx's ass again. Well, screw everyone else! They can go fall to Nyx because I'm too weak without Minato-sama!"**

**I'm just like Mommy! I saw what Daddy did, and frankly, he's nothing but dirt in the ground now! He's not like Minato-sama, who's actually worth a damn!"**

Yukari was genuinely taken aback by that, and her breathing seemed to stop for just a split-second, her throat seizing up in fear of what this Shadow was saying. To be quite honest, she was getting scared, and when she looked over to her friends, the shamed look on Aigis and Fuuka's faces in particular gutted her. That was before rage began to flow from that low shot to her.

"I don't think that…" Yukari's fists shook, but before she could say anything else back, Shadow Yukari put her hand away and let them fall behind her back.

"**Speaking of Nyx, where's the balls **_**you**_** had back in the Abyss!? **_**You**_** wanted to go back and fight Nyx all over again to save Minato-sama! That was badass!"**

Oh no. No, she wasn't going to bring that up. Yukari felt sickness rush to her head, this was some sort of nightmare. "B-But I was wrong!" stammered a furious Yukari, "I-I know that! I was selfish and stupid and I didn't know what I was doing! I accept he's gone, maybe forever!"

Shadow Yukari's expression showed she wasn't convinced. **"Feh… keep lying to yourself. You obviously didn't think that when you was willing to take the keys off everyone, so you could see him again! What I am is just an emotional skank, just like Mommy! You act all tough and self-reliant, because all it is is just a wall so you can deny the reality that you _still_ miss Minato-sama! Your little dates with those rejects ended in nothing, because in your eyes, _nobody_ compared to Minato-sama! Yeah, who cares about everyone else! Nyx can kill them all for all I care, because I'm too weak to live without **_**my**_** Minato-sama!"**

Yukari gasped, unable to speak. Aigis stared sadly, and looked down at her ceramic legs, looking shattered, "Yukari-san…."

Shadow Yukari turned over to Aigis, and scowled, **"Humph, why did you get his power anyway, you fake bitch? You're nothing but a machine, and yet you claim to have all these bonds, while I actually spent time with him... oh, and did I mention I didn't even need to stalk him? I was the best girlfriend ever!"**

The sheer hatred for the android in Shadow Yukari's voice was what got Yukari. As Aigis simply stared at the Shadow with what almost looked like pity, the brunette went wide-eyed, and looked to the android with a dazed expression on her face, "Aigis… I don't think that any more… really, I don't!"

Then, Shadow Yukari pointed at a photo of Junpei that formed on the TV. It was him and her on a date, more specifically, her at the summer festival, in a yukata and all, and Junpei grinning like it was Christmas. The Shadow's yellow eyes narrowed down, **"I can't believe **_**you**_** went with this loser! I mean, what good is Stupei anyway? You know you banged him because you felt sorry for him, and he was the only guy worth a damn after Minato-sama died. And now, you're down to his level! What bullshit!"**

What the hell was she saying?! Yukari's expression dropped in surprise and horror, "S-shut up! That's just lies! I don't think that about Junpei either! I… I really enjoyed being with him!"

The Shadow simply smiled smugly, **"Like mother, like daughter indeed... nothing like dear Daddy, though. Remember what you saw? He **_**saved**_** the world, didn't he? But you know, Minato-sama's more important than Daddy. Let's doom the world and throw everything to Nyx, so we can be with Minato-sama! Let's screw everything Daddy died for! Because when it comes to it, no one's better than Minato-sama!"**

All Yukari could do was grind her teeth, her eyes widening. Everything the golden-eyed Yukari was saying hit a raw nerve in her, that deep down, there was an element of truth. But Yukari wouldn't recognize saying such horrible things, and she shook her head, "J-Just… shut up!"

**"Daddy left me and that bitch all alone, because he wanted to be a hero! Then there was Minato-sama, glorious, beautiful Minato-sama, who loved me like I loved him! And he died, and couldn't come back, because Ai is a selfish bitch along with the rest of those S.E.E.S. jerks! **_**That's**_** what Minato-sama means to me! Isn't that right?"**

It was like a bullet right to her psyche. The monster speaking all those hideous things to her, telling her what was truly on her mind, Yukari didn't want to accept that. No, she _couldn't_ accept that. She tried to speak, but couldn't say anything. So she did the next best thing, press her hands against her ears to block out the noise. She grasped at her brown hair and shook her head slowly, squeezing her eyes shut to blind herself from the lies.

"N-No… I… I… how can you be… this is a nightmare, isn't it? Yeah, that's right, a nightmare, then I'll wake up in the morning and everything will all be over!" she said out loud in a bid to console herself. Oh, if only it were a dream, then Minato would come to save her….

The Shadow only snorted at the scared young woman, **"Pfft. You keep denying all this,"** she spoke, as her lips fell into a twisted grin, **"it's better this way. After all this is over, you're gonna go and dream about Minato-sama, 'cause you're obsessed!"**

Yukari only pressed her hands harder against her ears, trying to block out the mockery and the taunts, while she gritted her teeth. While she acted aggressive, she was petrified of this thing using her face as a mask.

She made sure to keep her back turned from the group, so they didn't see the tears forming in her eyes.

"Yukari…" muttered Labrys, with a dark look aimed directly at the Shadow. Aigis and Fuuka shared the same look, but Yosuke and Teddie stared in confusion, obviously unsure what they were talking about.

"Yuka-chan, what do you mean, the Abyss…?" asked the bear.

Shadow Yukari sneered at the five, and her golden eyes seemed to brighten up at the innocent, confused look on Yosuke and Teddie's faces, **"Wow, you idiots don't know? Come on Aigis, tell our new friends about that…."**

The enraged Aigis put her hand up, her fingers clicking together, "I will never tell you, you monster!"

She frowned, but then it picked up into a wide grin again, **"Well, time to show Failmura and Crappie the truth of who I am, the utter **_**bitch**_** known as Yukari Takeba!"**

She pointed over to the TV of the hotel room, which glowed eerily, as it set from static to an image. Yukari opened her eyes to see that the Shadow had the widest, toothiest grin on her face, and when she saw the TV static start to fade in, her face blanched in horror. Fuuka noticeably wanted to look away, while Aigis' eyes widened.

"W-What… what the… ya can't show that!" Yukari panicked.

But the Shadow paid no heed. **"Behold… the answer!"** cheered Shadow Yukari.

What the TV showed, was something Yukari wished she could purge from her memory. She saw the screen come to life, and the images flickered into life. The members of S.E.E.S., sat around the lounge, with glowing cracks around the room, trying to discuss what to do with the keys they currently had.

Yosuke rose his eyebrows, and Teddie's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Yukari felt like she was going to be sick, especially seeing the Shadow's uber-confident, smug stride and smirk.

"**Ya see,"** Shadow Yukari said clearly, **"these eight keys could determine whenever we go back to our time, or go back to the past, permanently, to save Minato-sama. The thing is, though, that going back to save him could call Nyx back, but that wasn't enough for love!"**

"N-No! Stop it!" cried Yukari, now very frightened, not just to relieve a traumatic night, but how her new friends would react to her skeletons in the closet being unveiled for all to see.

Shadow Yukari then smiled grotesquely right at Yukari, that same grimacing smile with an undertone of mockery, **"What happened definitely will go down in history of romance as the most romantic thing ever... screw the world and everyone, so long as I get my chance to bang my boyfriend again!"**

"Please!" Yukari could only plead, now desperate. Her whole body started to tremble, and she felt like she was going to collapse, unable to support her trembling weight. More tears began to gather, and she swallowed back a sob. She looked over her shoulder at the group, still trembling, "You guys…."

Yosuke watched the TV intently, his eyes flickering from the screen to her. Yukari couldn't help but feel sick to her stomach when she saw that look, and when he spoke, "… What is she on about?"

Please. No. Anyone but Hanamura or Teddie. They didn't need to know this.

"Please…" Yukari choked, tears in her eyes, a chill dripping down her spine, "please…."

Everyone's sight went back to the TV. After Akihiko and Ken had agreed they wanted to move forward, Junpei had innocently asked Yukari for her opinion on the matter. The girl had been awfully quiet throughout the discussion, and then, she looked up. What she said….

* * *

"_I… I… want to go back. To the time before the last battle… when I thought about how he protected us, I kept telling myself that I have to keep looking forward… that's why I started going to cram school, and spending less time goofing off. But… I can't lie to myself. If there's a way for Minato to come back… I'll take it, no matter what."_

* * *

Now, in the Midnight Channel, Yukari's face seemed to lose all color, and her eyes widened, her breathing becoming deep exhales. No matter how hard she covered her ears, she could still hear everything. She peeled them away from her hands, and grasped handfuls of her hair, then covered her face with them, so she didn't have to see anything.

"No… stop it… please…."

In the TV, Akihiko and Ken were directly opposed to Yukari, with Mitsuru's eyes darting about cautiously. Yukari continued to shout and yell, and soon it flickered to her enraged face.

* * *

"_You're all just scared! All this talk about the present is because when you get down to it, all you only care about are yourselves!"_

* * *

Back in real time, Yukari looked away from the TV, and bit her lip, anguished to see the looks on her friend's faces. Aigis looked down, her eyes averted from the screen, Labrys was staring angrily at Shadow Yukari, while Fuuka shot a concerned look….

Teddie's jaw dropped, and he watched, unable to speak, while Yosuke made a whining sound with his throat, and tried to look away, but couldn't.

The TV flickered again, but this time, the scenery was much different. It was an arena, with four competitors currently fighting it out. The arena itself was like that of a coliseum, with a red sky over the competitor's heads, dotted with dark clouds, with several flaming torches surrounding the four.

* * *

_There was Aigis, panting, her visor cracked, with a black-haired robot girl, eyes covered by her red butterfly visor, struggling with a redhead human girl, clad in a white blouse. Her axe clashed with Mitsuru's rapier, with neither giving way._

"_Metis!" cried Aigis, but Metis managed to parry a rapier stab, and punted Mitsuru in the head with the butt of her axe. Mitsuru cried out, and Metis backed away, the blue aura coating her as Psyche emerged._

_However, Aigis' attention was caught when she narrowly dodged an arrow. Her attention went back to her opponent… Yukari herself, wearing the same pink cardigan the Shadow was wearing. Milky brown eyes were narrowed directly at Aigis, and she put her bow back and whipped her hand to her thigh. She grabbed the Evoker from her holster, pointed it on the center of her forehead, and pulled the trigger._

"_I WON'T LOSE! ISIS!" cried Yukari. The sound of a gunshot echoed through the arena, and blue fragments from the other side of her head formed into the floating shape of Isis. "Garudyne!" she yelled, and Isis flapped her wings, sending out a sprawling green tornado directed towards Aigis._

_With no time to waste, Aigis' Evoker kicked into action, and out came Beelzebub, who blocked the tornado. The brunette scowled, but Beelzebub threw a series of lightning bolts at both Yukari and Mitsuru, with Yukari screaming in pain before falling to her knees._

_However, she looked up and growled, then pressed the Evoker back on her head, albeit weakly. "Isis… please!"_

_However, before Yukari was able to call forth her Persona again, another Maziodyne was enough to send her down on her back, with another agonized shout._

* * *

Now, back in the Midnight Channel, Yukari's mind was at its wit's end. This wasn't her. This wasn't her at all. Her eyes were wide as plates, she couldn't speak, her face began to break into a cold sweat as her entire chest seized up, her emotions running wild on every level. She looked up at the golden eyed doppelganger, and instead of the usual anger, felt… fear and dreading. No. This monster was not telling the truth.

Shadow Yukari, however, was having the time of her life, and hollered with laughter. **"Gyahahahaha! Isn't this great? This is what Yukari Takeba really is: a slutty backstabbing bitch, always hungry for a man! A man like Minato-sama!"**

Yukari felt her legs go to jelly, and she fell to her knees, clutching her head, trying to block everything around her, "No… that's, that's not me…" muttered Yukari, panting, "that's not me… ya gotta believe me…."

What would everyone think if they saw this of her? What would Teddie think? What would Hanamura think? They'd think of her as an obsessed whore.

That would be all they ever saw of her.

Then, as if things couldn't get any worse, what came out she knew far too well.

* * *

"_That was some speech back there, but you haven't really made a decision, huh? Then give it to me… gimme that key!"_

* * *

All eyes were on the television, which showed the 17 year old Yukari desperately grasping for the true key, her hands wrapped around the head, trying to tug it away from Aigis' steel grip. She tried her hardest to rip it off Aigis' hands, but the robot would not budge. Back then, Aigis, Fuuka, and everyone in fact, watched in horror seeing their friend's desperation. And now, they only looked depressed, forced to relieve that painful memory.

Yukari, on the other hand, she felt a lump form on her throat to see that horrible moment again. But she couldn't bear to look away from the TV, not wanting to see anybody else's eyes on her. She knew if she looked… what she would see would be too painful.

* * *

"_It's no use," the raven-haired robot, known as Metis, told the brunette, "only my sister can use the key now."_

_At that, Yukari seemed to lose all her energy, and she fell onto her knees, at Aigis' feet. Her body gently shook with sobs, and she gripped at the ground. "I want to see him…."_

_Aigis gasped, and her eyes fell in pity for Yukari, as she continued her breakdown._

"_I… I made a promise to him too… I promised that I'd try my best to change this world, so that people would stop wishing for The Fall… it wasn't like yours… it was something I promised myself while I was holding his cold hand… that's why I decided to put my past behind me, and look forward…."_

* * *

Aigis, even now, repeated the same words she had told her back in 2010, "Yukari-san…."

* * *

"_But I can't… I can't be that person… I wanna see Minato… I don't care about anything else! I just wanna see Minato again!"_

_As tears began to flow down Yukari's cheeks, Mitsuru began to approach the grief-stricken girl…._

* * *

Then the flashback faded back into static. Yukari stared, unable to say a word, her face frozen in horror and disbelief. Her jaw dropped, tried to pick back up, but then dropped again, as she tried to form words. They only came out as whined sobs, before forming into proper words, "H-How can y-you know a-a-all that, b-but…."

How did this Shadow know everything about her? How come it was able to wear her face like a perfect mask? Thoughts screamed in her head, and she felt her eyes start to wet up, as her emotions flew all over the place. She was being exposed to everybody in this TV world, and to see those memories again….

Yukari knew she shouldn't have done it, but she forced herself to look over to Yosuke and Teddie.

If looks could break a heart, then the disappointment and heartbreak in Yosuke's eyes could do it tenfold. And the sheer disbelief and horror in Teddie's eyes too, would do it twentyfold. The bear shook where he stood, looking like a simple toss away from tears. The innocent bear appeared to have his entire worldview on her shattered.

"Yuka-chan… why did you hurt your friends like that? Aren't friends meant to be friends forever…?" Teddie whimpered.

Yukari bit her lower lip and sobbed loudly, almost breaking down right there, realizing that the bear really didn't trust her now.

"I'm sorry Ted… I'm so sorry…!"

"'Sorry' isn't good enough, Takeba."

She looked over to the owner of that voice, Yosuke. He stared at her with a look that was like he didn't know whenever to hate her or not, but yet, his heart had shattered into a million pieces. And that was the most painful thing about it. His eyes wide, his mouth open, his expression was caught between anger, confusion, and heartbreak.

Yosuke took one step back when Yukari looked at him. It was made even worse when his eyes narrowed at her, his lips clenched into a tight snarl, and his fist tightened.

He lowered his head, glaring at her with confusion, despair and anger, and his shoulders hunched. "Takeba… this is… this has gotta be… is this the truth? Please… don't… oh, god… not again… I'm sorry..."

His eyes softened, his voice broke down into a whine at that last part, and his head fell down in defeat. He sobbed softly to himself, and he gulped. And when she saw a few wet tears gently drift down his cheeks, it made Yukari feel even more awful.

He was rejecting her.

They were rejecting her.

That was the perfect cue for Shadow Yukari to go on another shrieking fit of laughter. She pointed at the frustrated, confused, crying Yosuke, and glared right at Yukari, the gleam in those topaz eyes made Yukari flinch and back up.

"**That's right! The pure, simple truth! Your precious Takeba-san, me, is nothing but a bitch who's **_**still**_** completely and utterly obsessed with the one and only Minato Arisato-sama! Sorry for the broken wet dreams, Failmura! Oh wait, I'm not! Gyahahahaha!"**

Yukari _screamed_ at the golden eyed Shadow, while she was frightened, confused and tortured, a quick burst of rage overwhelmed her mind, "SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! WHY WON'T YOU JUST SHUT UP?!"

Shadow Yukari then turned to the rest, and flashed a wide, distorted grin, **"You all really wanna know who I am? I'm just an obsessed bitch… 'cause here's one basic truth… I am Yukari Takeba! I am her Shadow, her true self!"**

Everything suddenly snapped for Yukari. She didn't know what else she was doing. She was all alone again, separated and torn away from everybody because of what she had done in the past. Everyone's eyes were on her, and the humiliation crawled into her mind, gnawing away at her.

Tears visibly fell from Yukari's eyes out of desperation, fear, and anger, and she put her hand to her face, trying to hide her crying, yet to no avail, "No... no! That's not me! That's not me! I-I'm different now! I've changed! I don't think that anymore!"

For once, Shadow Yukari's grin faded, into a neutral frown. She looked down on the real Yukari, and tilted her head over, narrowing her topaz eyes. For once, she looked serious.

"**Why should I? I'm only being honest to myself, for a change!"**

Yukari sobbed, and she stared angrily at the Shadow, "And who the hell do you think you are?! How can you say that with my face!?" her anger was choked back by her sobbing, and she wiped at her eyes to swipe the tears away. She couldn't stop crying, this was too much.

Shadow Yukari then grinned, **"Like I said, I am your true self! You're me! I'm you!"**

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She lost her will, and her heart thumped, telling her the answer she knew.

"No…." Yukari shook her head and by that point, her hands fell to the duvet, crumpling handfuls in her fists, and she shook her head, her anger giving way to despair. She couldn't stop the tears rolling down her cheeks onto the love hotel's floor. This evil thing was not her. No way could it ever be her.

"No... you're wrong! I don't miss him... I don't miss him at all! I'm over him, I really am! I don't resent Aigis, or anybody else… this isn't me..."

Shadow Yukari's unnatural grin grew even wider at that point, **"Oh, yeah? I'm definitely you, and you're definitely me, tee hee~!"**

The agonized Yukari squeezed her eyes shut at Shadow Yukari's teasing, feeling more tears trickle down her face, her heart denying what laid in front of her, "You're… you're not... you're not…!"

Fuuka was the first to shout out, "Yukari-chan, no!"

Then Labrys was the second, "Yukari, no! It wants you to do 'dis!"

Aigis tried to reach out, but was too late, "Please, don't say it, Yukari-san!"

Teddie immediately sprung into action, "Yuka-chan! You can't!"

Yosuke didn't say anything, instead watching in horror, tears also rolling down his cheeks.

She couldn't hear their words, drowning in her despair. Yukari's hands tightened tightly around the duvet, and she wept, humiliated and disgusted with the lying monster in front of her. "You're not… me!" she sobbed.

Now unable to control herself, she glared down her evil doppelganger furiously, and screamed some very familiar words from the bottom of her heart.

"You… you're not me! Didja hear that?! _You can't be me! YOU'RE NOT ME!_"

However, this was enough for the Shadow to grin the most she had ever grinned. Yukari snarled angrily at the doppelganger with tear-stained eyes, but the Shadow's lips twisted into a devious smile, showing plenty of white teeth while evil energy coated its body. The Shadows surrounding the fighting team were absorbed into Shadow Yukari, who grew bigger and bigger, until she burst forth in an explosion of power, strong enough to knock Yukari away and into the wall.

* * *

"Yukari-san!" yelled a worried Aigis, but her attention was drawn to the powerful Shadow before them… Aigis, Fuuka and Labrys' eyes widened at the familiar appearance and distorted shape of the Shadow.

The form of Isis was prevalent throughout the design. Two sets of twisted, metallic wings, one pair spread apart, and another wrapped across Shadow Yukari's chest. While it still held the feminine figure of the Persona, the cow's head seemed to be gone. The face on the headdress, instead of a distant smile, held a mourning grimace, with opaque tears on its sculpted cheeks. The most disturbing of all, however, was that there was a small figure wrapped around Shadow Yukari's wings, like a lover would embrace her partner.

Aigis gasped, "I-Is that… Messiah?! Minato-san's Ultimate Persona?!"

Indeed, the figure in the Shadow's embrace resembled Messiah, the Ultimate Persona of Minato. It laid there like it were sleeping, warm and cozy in Shadow Yukari's arms, and when Yosuke recovered enough to look at the transformed Shadow Yukari, he felt a sting inside his heart.

He shrugged it off though and prepared for battle. He nodded silently at Teddie and twirled his kunai around with one hand, while Teddie sharpened his claws.

"Yukari-chan…" Fuuka sadly whispered, "we'll save you…!"

"Yes…" Aigis stepped forward, staring deep into the blazing eyes of the demented Shadow Yukari, "Yukari-san, wait for us…!"

Yosuke had a heavy heart, but he knew he had to focus now. He groaned, and twirled a kunai in his hand, unable to hide his frown. He glared up at Shadow Yukari, the manifestation of Yukari's negative thoughts… her obsession over Minato… and he sighed. Then, his eyes narrowed.

The beast spread another pair of wings out, still keeping her tight embrace over the small Messiah, and spoke.

"**I am a Shadow… the true self… anyone who gets between me and my Minato-sama… will **_**die**_**!"**


End file.
